Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006

2002 ← November 7, 2006 → 2010

Nominee Martin O'Malley Robert Ehrlich Party Democratic Republican Running mate Anthony G. Brown Kristen Cox Popular vote 942,279 825,464 Percentage 52.69% 46.16%

Election results by county

Governor before election Robert Ehrlich Republican Elected Governor Martin O'Malley Democratic

The Maryland gubernatorial election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. It was a race for the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. The winning candidates -- Martin O'Malley and Anthony G. Brown, who defeated the incumbent Gov. Robert Ehrlich and running mate Kristen Cox -- were elected to serve from 2007 to 2011.

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore

Campaign

Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore, and Doug Duncan, the Montgomery County Executive, emerged as the two Democratic candidates for Governor in late 2005. Early polling indicated that O'Malley would have the upper edge in both the Democratic primary and the general election, with a solid lead over Duncan in the primary and a several point lead over Ehrlich in the general.^[1]

As the gubernatorial campaign intensified, Doug Duncan dropped out of the race, citing the fact that he had been diagnosed with clinical depression. In the same announcement, Duncan threw his support behind O’Malley and declined to seek another office in the fall.^[2] O'Malley then became the presumed Democratic nominee for Governor, as no other candidate opposed him in the primary election.

Mayor O'Malley selected Anthony G. Brown, a black State Delegate from Prince George's County and a veteran of the Iraq War, as his running mate.

Results

Democratic primary results[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Martin O'Malley	524,671	100.00%
Totals			524,671	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Bob Ehrlich, incumbent Governor of Maryland

Campaign

Governor Ehrlich opted to seek a second term as Governor, and did not face any opposition at any point in the Republican primary. When Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele opted to run for Senate instead of seeking a second term on Ehrlich’s gubernatorial ticket, Ehrlich named Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Kristen Cox, who was blind, as his running mate^[4] and was renominated by his party for a second term.

Results

Republican primary results[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Bob Ehrlich (inc.)	213,744	100.00%
Totals			213,744	100%

General election

Candidates

• Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore (D)
• Bob Ehrlich, incumbent Governor of Maryland (R)
• Ed Boyd, temporary employment agency recruiter (G)
• Christopher A. Driscoll (P)

Campaign

Elected to his first term in 2002, incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich ran for a second term as Governor, opposed by the Democratic nominee, Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore. Both candidates emerged from uncontested primary elections and a contentious election season began.

Early in the campaign, Governor Ehrlich boasted decent approval ratings from Maryland citizens, with a Gonzalez Research poll taken during October of 2005 showing him with a 49% approval rating.^[1] and a Baltimore Sun poll from November of 2005 giving the Governor a 50% approval and a 33% disapproval.^[5] However, the unpopularity of the national Republican Party and President George W. Bush dragged Ehrlich’s re-election chances down.

Ehrlich launched attack ads that hit O'Malley on crime in Baltimore under his tenure as Mayor, calling the murder rate in Baltimore "awful" and "an embarrassment to the state of Maryland."^[6] O'Malley countered with one television ad that featured testimonials from local community leaders, Howard County Executive James N. Robey, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, Jr.^[7] and another ad that attacked Ehrlich for breaking his promise to end parole for violent criminals.^[8]

The Washington Post and the Washington Times both endorsed Governor Ehrlich in his bid for re-election, with the Times praising Ehrlich’s "brand of moderate conservatism that offers a refreshing contrast" to the state's historically Democratic leanings^[9] and the Post called him "a generally proficient, pragmatic governor" and praised him for "successes on transportation, the environment and education."^[10]

In turn, the Baltimore Sun gave O'Malley a shining endorsement, declaring that "the progress under the mayor’s tenure is clear and irrefutable," and that he addressed "rising crime, failing schools and shrinking economic prospects. "^[11] The Mayor also called upon the praise given to him by TIME Magazine when they named him one of the country's "Top 5 Big City Mayors."^[12]

Polling

Source	Date	O'Malley (D)	Ehrlich (R)
SurveyUSA	November 5, 2006	50%	47%
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.	November 1, 2006	47%	46%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	October 31, 2006	49.3%	43.9%
Public Opinion Strategies	October 31, 2006	46%	45%
Rasmussen	October 30, 2006	50%	47%
Washington Post	October 29, 2006	55%	45%
Rasmussen	October 17, 2006	53%	45%
USA TODAY/Gallup	October 6, 2006	53%	41%
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.	September 24, 2006	50%	44%
Survey USA	September 20, 2006	51%	44%
Rasmussen	September 20, 2006	49%	42%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	September 11, 2006	52.5%	39.6%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	August 28, 2006	52.0%	42.2%
Rasmussen	August 18, 2006	50%	43%
Public Opinion Strategies	August 14, 2006	41%	41%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	July 24, 2006	51.3%	42.2%
Rasmussen	July 17, 2006	49%	42%
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc.	July 16, 2006	46%	38%
The Washington Post	June 25, 2006	51%	40%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	June 21, 2006	53.1%	39.2%
Opinion Works	April 27, 2006	46%	37%
Rasmussen	April 21, 2006	51%	42%
Gonzales Research	April 18, 2006	46%	41%
Rasmussen	January 13, 2006	42%	47%
Wall Street Journal/Zogby	January 13, 2006	53%	40%
Rasmussen	November 22, 2005	46%	40%
Baltimore Sun	November 6, 2005	48%	33%
Baltimore Sun	October 25, 2005	48%	42%
Rasmussen	July 18, 2005	41%	46%
Baltimore Sun	April 17, 2005	45%	39%
Baltimore Sun	January 2005	40%	40%

Results

Maryland gubernatorial election, 2006[13]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Martin O'Malley	942,279	52.69%	+5.02%
	Republican	Robert Ehrlich (inc.)	825,464	46.16%	-5.39%
	Green	Ed Boyd	15,551	0.87%
	Populist	Christopher Driscoll	3,481	0.19%
	Write-ins		1,541	0.09%
Majority			116,815	6.53%	+2.65%
Turnout			1,788,316
	Democratic gain from Republican		Swing

References

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/oct/24/20051024-103424-5071r/
2. ^ http://www.wbaltv.com/r/9410402/detail.html
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/primary/office_Governor__Lt_Governor.html
4. ^ http://www.parc.umd.edu/2006Analyses/EhrlichAnalysisKristenCox.htm
5. ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bal-te.poll06,1,526266.story?coll=bal-home-headlines
6. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901818.html
7. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mb2FBF7Pwo&feature=relmfu
8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DTH_Saas1I&feature=related
9. ^ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/sep/6/20060906-100015-2449r/
10. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102401145.html
11. ^ http://freestatepolitics.blogspot.com/2006/10/omalley-gets-shining-endorsement-from.html
12. ^ http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1050272,00.html
13. ^ http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2006/results/general/office_Governor__Lt_Governor.html

External links

• Official list of candidates provided by the State of Maryland Board of Elections
• Official re-election website of Governor Ehrlich
• Official election website of Martin O'Malley