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Turnout | 57.53% 4.32% [1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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County results O'Malley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ehrlich: 50–60% 60–70% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Maryland |
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Government |
The 2006 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich ran for a second term, but was defeated by the Democratic nominee, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley. Ehrlich was the only incumbent governor from either party to lose a general election in the 2006 midterms.
Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan emerged as the two Democratic candidates for governor in late 2005. Early polling indicated that O'Malley would have the advantage in both the Democratic primary and the general election, with a solid lead over Duncan in the primary and a several point lead over Ehrlich in the general. [2]
As the gubernatorial campaign intensified, Duncan withdrew from the race, citing his diagnosis with clinical depression. In the same announcement, he threw his support behind O'Malley and declined to seek another office in the fall. No other Democratic candidate had announced, so O'Malley was unopposed in the primary election.
O'Malley selected Anthony Brown, a black State Delegate from Prince George's County and a veteran of the Iraq War, as his running mate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Martin O'Malley | 524,671 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 524,671 | 100.00% |
Ehrlich sought a second term as governor and did not face opposition at any point in the Republican primary. Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele ran for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking a second term as lieutenant governor, so Ehrlich named Maryland Secretary of Disabilities Kristen Cox, who is blind, as his running mate.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Bob Ehrlich (incumbent) | 213,744 | 100.00% | |
Total votes | 213,744 | 100.00% |
Elected to his first term in 2002, incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich ran for a second term as governor, opposed by the Democratic nominee, Martin O'Malley, the Mayor of Baltimore. Both candidates emerged from uncontested primary elections and a contentious election season began.
Early in the campaign, Ehrlich boasted decent approval ratings from Maryland citizens, with a Gonzalez Research poll taken during October 2005 showing him with a 49% approval rating. [2] and a Baltimore Sun poll from November 2005 giving the Governor a 50% approval and a 33% disapproval. [4] However, the unpopularity of the national Republican Party and President George W. Bush dragged Ehrlich's re-election chances down. [5] [6]
Ehrlich launched attack ads that hit O'Malley on crime in Baltimore under his tenure as Mayor, calling the murder rate in Baltimore "awful" and "an embarrassment to the state of Maryland." [7] O'Malley countered with one television ad that featured testimonials from local community leaders, Howard County Executive James N. Robey, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. [8] and another ad that attacked Ehrlich for breaking his promise to end parole for violent criminals. [9]
The Washington Post and The Washington Times both endorsed Ehrlich in his bid for re-election, with the Times praising Ehrlich's "brand of moderate conservatism that offers a refreshing contrast" to the state's historically Democratic leanings [10] and the Post called him "a generally proficient, pragmatic governor" and praised him for "successes on transportation, the environment and education." [11]
In turn, The Baltimore Sun endorsed O'Malley, saying, "the progress under the mayor's tenure is clear and irrefutable", and that he addressed "rising crime, failing schools and shrinking economic prospects." [12] O'Malley also called upon the praise given to him by TIME Magazine when they named him one of the country's "Top 5 Big City Mayors." [13]
Source | Ranking | As of |
---|---|---|
The Cook Political Report [14] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [15] | Lean D (flip) | November 6, 2006 |
Rothenberg Political Report [16] | Lean D (flip) | November 2, 2006 |
Real Clear Politics [17] | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
Source | Date | Martin O'Malley (D) | Bob Ehrlich (R) |
---|---|---|---|
SurveyUSA [ permanent dead link ] | November 5, 2006 | 50% | 47% |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | November 1, 2006 | 47% | 46% |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | October 31, 2006 | 49.3% | 43.9% |
Public Opinion Strategies | October 31, 2006 | 46% | 45% |
Rasmussen | October 30, 2006 | 50% | 47% |
Washington Post | October 29, 2006 | 55% | 45% |
Rasmussen | October 17, 2006 | 53% | 45% |
USA TODAY/Gallup | October 6, 2006 | 53% | 41% |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. | September 24, 2006 | 50% | 44% |
Survey USA | September 20, 2006 | 51% | 44% |
Rasmussen | September 20, 2006 | 49% | 42% |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | September 11, 2006 | 52.5% | 39.6% |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | August 28, 2006 | 52.0% | 42.2% |
Rasmussen | August 18, 2006 | 50% | 43% |
August 14, 2006 | 41% | 41% | |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | July 24, 2006 | 51.3% | 42.2% |
Rasmussen | July 17, 2006 | 49% | 42% |
Baltimore Sun/Potomac Inc. Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine | July 16, 2006 | 46% | 38% |
The Washington Post | June 25, 2006 | 51% | 40% |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | June 21, 2006 | 53.1% | 39.2% |
Opinion Works | April 27, 2006 | 46% | 37% |
Rasmussen | April 21, 2006 | 51% | 42% |
Gonzales Research Archived 2006-04-20 at the Wayback Machine | April 18, 2006 | 46% | 41% |
Rasmussen | January 13, 2006 | 42% | 47% |
Wall Street Journal/Zogby | January 13, 2006 | 53% | 40% |
Rasmussen Archived 2005-11-25 at the Wayback Machine | November 22, 2005 | 46% | 40% |
Baltimore Sun [ permanent dead link ] | November 6, 2005 | 48% | 33% |
Baltimore Sun [ permanent dead link ] | October 25, 2005 | 48% | 42% |
Rasmussen Archived 2005-10-31 at the Wayback Machine | July 18, 2005 | 41% | 46% |
Baltimore Sun [ permanent dead link ] | April 17, 2005 | 45% | 39% |
Baltimore Sun [ permanent dead link ] | January 2005 | 40% | 40% |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Martin O'Malley | 942,279 | 52.69% | +5.02% | |
Republican | Bob Ehrlich (incumbent) | 825,464 | 46.16% | −5.39% | |
Green | Ed Boyd | 15,551 | 0.87% | N/A | |
Populist | Christopher Driscoll | 3,481 | 0.19% | N/A | |
Write-in | 1,541 | 0.09% | N/A | ||
Total votes | 1,788,316 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
Democratic gain from Republican |
Robert Leroy Ehrlich Jr. is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 60th governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, Ehrlich represented Maryland's 10th legislative district in the House of Delegates from 1987 to 1995 and Maryland's 2nd Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American politician serving as the 17th and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration since December 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 61st governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015 and the 48th mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007.
Parris Nelson Glendening is an American politician and academic who served as the 59th governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. He previously served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982 to 1994 as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1999, Glendening was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006, in 36 states and two territories. The elections coincided with the midterm elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
The Maryland Republican Party is the Maryland state branch of the Republican Party (GOP), headquartered in Annapolis. It is the state's minority party, controlling no statewide offices, minorities in both houses of the state legislature, and 1 of 8 U.S. House seats.
The 2006 United States Senate election in Maryland was held Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democrat Paul Sarbanes, Maryland's longest serving United States Senator, decided to retire instead of seeking a sixth term. Democratic nominee Ben Cardin, a U.S. Representative, won the open seat, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele.
The 2006 Maryland Comptroller election was held on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic State Comptroller William Donald Schaefer ran for a third term, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Peter Franchot, a State Delegate from Montgomery County. On the Republican side, Anne McCarthy, the former dean of the University of Baltimore business school, won a crowded primary and faced off against Franchot. In the general election, Franchot defeated McCarthy and became the next Comptroller of Maryland.
The 2007 Baltimore mayoral election was held on November 6, 2007. Because Baltimore's electorate is overwhelmingly Democratic, Sheila Dixon's victory in the Democratic primary on September 11 all but assured her of victory in the general election; she defeated Republican candidate Elbert Henderson in the general election by an overwhelming majority. Dixon, who as president of the Baltimore City Council became mayor in January 2007 when Martin O'Malley resigned to become Governor of Maryland, was the first woman to be elected to the office.
Carmen Michael Amedori was an American journalist and politician. She was elected in 1998 to the Maryland House of Delegates for District 5A, from Carroll County. After being re-elected in 2002 she served in the Maryland General Assembly until 2004, when she was appointed by Governor Bob Ehrlich to the state Parole Commission where she served until 2009. Amedori was a background actor and had a featured extra role on House of Cards and also played the lead in productions with Siren's Media. She was a writer and a licensed realtor.
Kenneth D. Schisler is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates and former chair of the Maryland Public Service Commission.
The 2002 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Democratic Governor Parris Glendening was term-limited and could not seek a third term. Republican Bob Ehrlich defeated Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, making him the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew, who served from 1967 to 1969. As of 2024, this is the last time Charles County voted Republican in a statewide election.
The 2010 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010. The date included the election of the governor, lieutenant governor, and all members of the Maryland General Assembly. Incumbent Democratic governor Martin O'Malley and lieutenant governor Anthony Brown won re-election to a second term in office, defeating Republican former governor Bob Ehrlich and his running mate Mary Kane.
The 2008 congressional elections in Maryland were held on November 4, 2008, to determine who would represent the state of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives, coinciding with the presidential election. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected serve in the 111th Congress from January 3, 2009, until January 3, 2011.
On November 2, 1999, the city of Baltimore, Maryland, elected a new mayor, the 47th in the city's history. Primary elections were held to determine the nominees for the Democratic Party and Republican Party on September 14. Incumbent mayor Kurt Schmoke, a Democrat, opted not to run for reelection. Martin O'Malley, a member of the Baltimore City Council, won the election to succeed Schmoke.
This article covers the controversies of Maryland's 2006 campaign for the United States Senate between Democrat Ben Cardin and Republican Michael Steele.
Elections were held in Maryland on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. Primary elections were held on September 14, 2010.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Maryland took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate, House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ben Cardin won re-election to a second term, defeating Republican nominee Dan Bongino and independent Rob Sobhani.
The 2014 Maryland gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Maryland. Incumbent Democratic governor Martin O'Malley was term-limited and could not run for re-election to a third consecutive term.
The 2018 Maryland gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2018. The date included the election of the governor, lieutenant governor, and all members of the Maryland General Assembly. Incumbent governor Larry Hogan and Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, both Republicans, were re-elected to a second term against Democrat Ben Jealous, the former NAACP CEO, and his running mate Susan Turnbull. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state carried by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Maryland on November 8, 2022. All of Maryland's executive officers were up for election as well as all of Maryland's eight seats in the United States House of Representatives, one of its U.S. senators, and the state legislature. Primaries were held on July 19, 2022. Polls were open from 7 AM to 8 PM EST.
Although both contests remained competitive, the general anti-Republican mood pervading the nation began to weigh on Ehrlich and Steele, who tried to tap national GOP connections for money while trying to avoid an affiliation with Washington as the climate worsened for their party.