Bob Ehrlich 2016: 8 Facts About Political Background of Potential GOP Presidential Hopeful

Former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich is one of many candidates considering a run at the 2016 presidential election. Here are eight facts about the political background of this potential GOP candidate.

1. Ehrlich was sworn in as the 60th governor of Maryland on Jan. 15, 2003, through Jan. 17, 2007. He ran against Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to fill the seat which would be vacated by incumbent Parris Glendening. His victory made him the first Republican governor in almost 40 years. Ehrlich lost the seat in 2006 to Democrat Martin O’Malley.

Urgent: Do You Support Bob Ehrlich for the GOP Nomination? Vote Here Now

2. Ehrlich served in the House of Representatives in Maryland’s 2nd District from 1995 to 2002. During this tenure, he sponsored many house bills, including minimum penalties for repeat DUI offenders, the Blind Empowerment Act, and bills to honor sports legends, Cal Ripken Jr. and Johnny Unitas.

3. Ehrlich served four terms in Maryland’s House of Delegates from 1987 until 1994. The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house in Maryland’s General Assembly. Maryland is only one of three states that uses a House of Delegates as its lower house of representatives.

4. During those same years, 1987 to 1994, Ehrlich served on the Governor’s Council on Child Abuse and Neglect as well as on the Maryland Juvenile Justice Advisory Council.

5. In 2010, in an attempt to regain the governorship, Ehrlich chose his former Secretary of State Mary D. Kane as his running mate. In his 2006 loss, Ehrlich had chosen Maryland’s Secretary of Disabilities Kristen Cox, who is blind.

Vote Now: Which Potential GOP Candidate Would You Support in 2016?

6. In March 2007, Ehrlich came out strongly in support of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for president and served as the chairman of Giuliani’s Mid-Atlantic Campaign Committee. In an interview in 2007, Ehrlich stated that although he had high regard for the other GOP candidates, it came down to his personal relationship with Giuliani and how he felt his presidency would benefit Maryland.

7. Some of Ehrlich’s stances on political issues include anti-abortion, anti-gay rights, anti-crime, and anti-gun control.

8. During his time after losing the governorship of Maryland, Ehrlich has been a political columnist for several publications, including The Baltimore Sun and the Weekly Standard.

Urgent: Who Should the GOP Nominate in 2016? Vote Here Now

Related Stories:

• Ex-Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich Weighs Run for Presidency
• Karl Rove: Of 23 Likely GOP Pres. Hopefuls, the Winner Might Be ...