Tremors Detected In Ehrlich's Base

Ehrlich is also considering Republicans who may be more appealing to his base, such as Secretary of State Mary D. Kane, wife of the state party chairman, and state Sen. Sandra B. Schrader (Howard), according to sources familiar with his search.

Several of the state's most vocal conservative leaders said they view next month's legislative session as a critical test for the man they backed in 2002. Conservative leaders say they will be pushing Ehrlich on such issues as same-sex marriage, gun rights, abortion and charter schools.

"This session will be really telling," said Joni Berman, who heads the Maryland Charter School Network. "What the governor does during this session will be critical to get our support."

Tres Kerns, executive director of VoteMarriage.org, said that he expects the governor to do more to block efforts to legalize same-sex marriage and that he will make noise if Ehrlich refuses.

"If we see the legislature keep passing [gay rights] bills and he does nothing, then, yes, I think it will have a big impact on his election," Kerns said.

Purtilo said he told the governor how he could make even mild policy adjustments to help gun owners. If nothing substantial surfaces, he said, "then the firearms community will likely do what it has always done: Punish officials who made us false promises."

Staff writer John Wagner contributed to this report.