Robert L. Ehrlich

Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American politician and the 60^th and current Governor of Maryland. A Republican, he became governor in 2003 after defeating Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51%-48% in the 2002 elections. The victory did not come easily, as both campaigns were filled with relentless attacks and negative themes against the other.

He received degrees from Princeton University (1979) and Wake Forest University Law School (1982) and served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1987–1995) and the United States House of Representatives (1995-2003).

Ehrlich is the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew in 1969. His running mate in the 2002 election and current lieutenant governor is Michael Steele. He has sparred with the state legislature over his plans to increase state revenue by legalizing the installing of slot machines at several of Maryland's race tracks.

Ehrlich is expected to run for re-election in 2006. Possible Democratic opponents include Montgomery County executive Douglas M. Duncan and Martin O'Malley, the mayor of Baltimore.

His wife Kendel caused a controversy when she said she wished she could "shoot" Britney Spears.

See also

• Government of Maryland

External links

• Office of the Governor
• Bob Ehrlich on the Issues
• Ehrlich biography, from the Maryland Archives

|- style="text-align: center;" | width="30%" |Preceded by:
Parris N. Glendening | width="40%" style="text-align: center;" |Governor of Maryland
2003—present | width="30%" |Succeeded by:
Incumbent