Unemployed in five weeks, Gov. Robert Ehrlich sat down with reporters over lunch Wednesday to talk about politics and his future, which includes some public speaking outside Maryland and a possible role in the presidential campaigns of either former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani or Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Maryland first lady Kendel Ehrlich joined the session midway, and joked about the job prospects for the two. “Have you had any offers today?” she asked her husband.
Rather than conduct a series of one-on-one interviews, Ehrlich?s press office invited reporters to dine on seafood stew over rice ? but only print journalists from newspapers who had endorsed his re-election, which was just about all of them except for The Sun.
“I?ll likely be doing some speaking,” the governor said. “There is a generally favorable view of this administration” around the country, and “there are some people who want to hear our story and how we were able to do some things.”
“We?ve been approached by the Romney campaign and the Giuliani campaign” about possible roles, Ehrlich said. “The discussion is much further along with Giuliani,” who campaigned for Ehrlich this year and in 2002. “That friendship has flourished over the last four years.”
One of the key things he brings to any national campaign is his list of more than 30,000 political contributors, many of them new donors to a Republican campaign, who gave more than $30 million to the last campaign.
“There are a lot of options out there, and there are a lot of people talking to us,” Ehrlich said. “I know that part of my life will be taken up with helping people who want my help. More likely than not, I may do some media.”
There is also “a group or subgroup of senior staff” who may set up a firm to some consulting that he may be involved in, Ehrlich said.
“Any talk of any office or any campaign in the future is grossly premature,” a remark he applied to Lt. Gov. Michael Steele and himself as well, the governor said.
