Hey, Republican party of Maryland -- you could have a shot in the 2010 governor's race! The economy is, of course, terrible, and unemployment will be sky high at least through next November, and those aren't the best "atmospherics" for Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley. Plus everyone remembers how Martin O'Malley called a special legislative session in late 2007 just to raise everyone's taxes. And no one likes taxes!
So, Republicans: who would like to run?
[Utter silence].
Well. So much for you guys.
At the moment, not a single Republican officeholder in Maryland has any interest in running, most likely because only 26.7 percent of the state's voters belong to the GOP, and Gov. O'Malley already has several million dollars in the bank.
Besides officeholders, however, there are, well ... two guys who may just go for it. One is a "construction lawyer," and the other is this wacky right-wing radio host from Baltimore who actually -- get this -- used to be governor a few years ago!
The former is a young fellow named Mike Pappas. He's already joined the race because hey, why not.
The only person to have joined the race is Mike Pappas, a paramedic turned construction industry lawyer from Baltimore County. Pappas, 39, launched an exploratory committee in January. His most visible position in state politics to date has been as parliamentarian of the Maryland Republican Party.
[Sigh.] We could've just stopped reading if only this bio had mentioned the "parliamentarian" bit a few sentences earlier.
And then, of course, there's Bobby Ehrlich, who lost his bid for a second term to O'Malley in the 2006 election. Ehrlich's strategy right now is not make any decisions at all just to annoy his colleagues, who may be keeping the lid on their own plans out of "deference." Whatever.
So there are your two terrible options: the House of Lords barrister or the lazy has-been. What the party needs to do is get state Sen. Andy Harris to run, for hilarity.
roflmao