The Washington Post, a sometimes harsh critic of Gov. Robert Ehrlich, endorsed the Republican?s re-election Wednesday, saying he had “become a generally proficient, pragmatic governor, if not always a disciplined or mature one.”
The editorial cited Ehrlich?s successes on transportation, the environment and education. It said that while Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley, his Democratic challenger, had “a creditable record” in the city, “he has not made a compelling case for toppling the incumbent.”
“It tells people that I?ve represented for four years, not 20, that we?ve been very successful in Annapolis, and people are noticing,” Ehrlich said. “It paid attention to policy successes ? environment, education, transportation, criminal justice.”
His spokeswoman Shareese DeLeaver said, “It?s certainly great news at this point in the election, indicative of the momentum the campaign has been experiencing these last few weeks.”
Any momentum has not shown up in published polls. All 23 of them have O?Malley in the lead. The endorsement and that of the Gazette newspaper chain, a Washington Post Co. subsidiary with circulation of 700,000, is “strong indication of the governor making inroads in Washington suburbs,” DeLeaver said.
The Post has strongly backed Ehrlich?s steadfast commitment to building the InterCounty Connector highway between Rockville and Laurel, his support for charter schools and his authorship of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Act funded by the so-called flush tax.
The editorial cites improvements O?Malley made in city schools and crime fighting, but said he has not made clear his “tough budgetary choices” as state spending soars on education and health care.
The final reason the newspaper mentions in endorsing Ehrlich over O?Malley mirrors the governor?s own assertion that his re-election is needed to break the Democratic monopoly in Annapolis.
“An O?Malley victory would herald return to the brand of one-party Democratic rule that has served the state poorly in the past,” The Post said.
