Robert “Bad Hair” Ehrlich, who lost his bid for reelection against Martin O’Malley 4 years ago, has announced his intention to run for governor again.
Ehrlich seems to think that anti-incumbency gives him a leg up, but he has lost the advantages of incumbency, he cannot run against former Maryland Governor Paris Glendenning, as he did when he ran against Glendenning’s Lt. Governor, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend,* and O’Malley got his signature issue from 8 years ago, slots as a source of revenue, done.
And then there is the 800 pound gorilla in the room, which is that Ehrlich still speaks very positively of his former Lt. Governor, Michael Steele, which may harm him more among Republicans than Democrats.
On the plus side for him is the fact that he is keeping his radio show on WBAL until he formally files his paperwork in June, which gives him a very big megaphone to toot his own horn.
Still, I Ehrlich has to run the table, and O’Malley has to have a major stumble for him to be competitive in this thoroughly blue state.
*She’s a smart lady, she kicked Ehrlich’s butt during the debate in 2002, but she is the worst campaigner in the history of the Kennedy clan, and perhaps the worst candidate in the history of history.