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Steele Absent From Bush GOP Fundraiser
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who is seeking reelection, introduces President Bush at a fundraiser in Baltimore for the state Republican Party.
(By Manuel Balce Ceneta -- Associated Press)
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Ehrlich aides said that for the governor, there was no question about whether he would attend last night's event.
"There was no ambivalence on the governor's part," said Shareese DeLeaver, a campaign spokeswoman. "We're onboard."
Ehrlich's political opponents said they didn't see that the governor had a choice. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Calvert) recalled that in 1998, when then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) canceled a fundraiser with President Bill Clinton, the decisions wound up looking petty and disloyal.
"I personally think Ehrlich's decision as a party leader is the right decision," Miller said. "But he is going to have to acknowledge that he's aligned with the president."
Silver Spring developer and political commentator Blair Lee, who is quick to praise Ehrlich, said not showing up would also be at odds with the governor's personal style. "He's a jock," Lee said. "It's part of the jock code. You don't turn your back on your teammates."
Whether it will hurt Ehrlich to be associated closely with the president is an open question.
When Jerry W. Kilgore (R) was running for governor in Virginia last year, some viewed the president's declining popularity, particularly in Northern Virginia, as a factor in Kilgore's loss.
Kilgore struggled visibly over how to handle appearances with Bush. Just weeks before the election, he declined to accompany Bush to an event in Norfolk, but the two appeared together on the eve on the election to try to turn out the Republican base.
