Ehrlich's Campaign Coffers Filling Faster Than Foes'

Barely halfway into his term, Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) has raised nearly $6.6 million for his 2006 reelection effort, his campaign said yesterday, setting a daunting pace for Democrats who hope to unseat him.

Ehrlich's take, which will be reflected in a fundraising report due today, amounts to nearly two-thirds of the record $10.5 million he raised in 2002 to defeat Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. And in that election, much of Ehrlich's money was raised during the race's final weeks.

At his current pace, analysts said, Ehrlich is poised to enter the election season with a strong financial advantage over his Democratic opponents. The candidate Ehrlich faces in November 2006 probably will first have to survive a costly primary in September, leaving little time to regroup for a race against the incumbent.

"It's huge," said Don Norris, a professor of public policy at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. "It's very important for a Republican running in this state to be in this position."

Two Democrats likely to run against Ehrlich -- Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan -- will report substantially lower fundraising totals today, although neither has been running for governor formally.

Aides to O'Malley, who was reelected to a second term as mayor in November, said he raised about $2.6 million during the two-year span. Aides to Duncan said his take during the same cycle was $1.7 million, with about $741,000 coming last year.

Both camps suggested they had devoted a substantial amount of time during the past year to raising money for other Democratic candidates, including the party's presidential nominee, Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.). O'Malley aides said he had raised about $1.5 million for others, and Duncan aides said his amount was close to $1 million over the past two years.

"We haven't been running for governor; we've been running for mayor," said Colleen Martin-Laurer, O'Malley's fundraising consultant. "We've been able to raise the amount of money that has been needed for every election. We have a strong donor base, and it's growing every day."

Duncan, whose last election was in 2002, will report more cash on hand today than O'Malley -- nearly $1.5 million compared with slightly more than $1 million. Ehrlich, by contrast, is sitting on more than $5.1 million, aides said.

Democratic Party leaders acknowledged that Ehrlich's fundraising has been impressive, but they suggested other factors will come into play in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1.

"The governor seems to think that money is everything," said Terry Lierman, chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party. "I think that passion and issues count for a lot in any election."

John C. Reith, finance director for Ehrlich's campaign, said the governor will be extremely well-positioned financially once Democrats settle on a nominee in September 2006.

"We're going to be running a really lean and mean operation until then," Reith said.

Reith said Ehrlich's $6.6 million for the new cycle had exceeded the campaign's expectations, but he would not disclose its overall target for the 2006 election. Totals cited by the campaign also included donations to the committee of Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R).

Reith said he is convinced that Ehrlich's donor base has considerable room for growth, despite campaign laws limiting individual contributions to $4,000 in each election cycle.

Thirty-four percent of contributions Ehrlich received last year came from first-time donors to his campaign, Reith said. About 93 percent of donors were Maryland residents, he added.

The 2002 governor's race, in which Ehrlich and Townsend raised a combined $19 million, was by far the most costly in Maryland history. Townsend raised $8.5 million in that race, about $2 million less than Ehrlich.

Previously, the most expensive race had been the 1998 campaign for governor, in which Democrat Parris N. Glendening and Republican Ellen R. Sauerbrey raised about $6 million each.