Gov. Ehrlich refuses to concede

In what may have been his last hoorah as a state official, Gov. Robert Ehrlich told his supporters gathered at the Grand Hyatt in Baltimore last night that the election between him and Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley was not over and that it was merely "going in to overtime."

Though Ehrlich would not accept defeat in an election in which he was losing by about 87,000 votes with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting, the Associated Press and a majority of major news outlets declared O'Malley the winner as early as midnight.

While Ehrlich's promise of a comeback once officials count the unusually large number of absentee ballots this year drew whoops and hollers from the crowd, the deflated feeling of disappointment was undeniable in the ballroom as the first Republican governor in the state in 30 years left the stage.

"With over a million votes counted, it's 50-50," Ehrlich told the crowd. "That's not a 'boo,' that's not a 'yeah,' that's an 'eh.'"

The governor's body language exuded disillusion. His typically confident posture was gone, and his eyes appeared swelled as he told the crowd that whatever happens, "the state is far better off than it was four years ago."

Some in attendance acknowledged the atmosphere was much more subdued than it was four years ago when Ehrlich upset Kathleen Townsend.

"I don't think we're at the point where it's over. A large majority of Republicans would have much rather lost to Doug Duncan, who we knew could at least be a capable administrator. We lost to a clown," said Tim Berndt of White Marsh, who attended Ehrlich's event.

Berndt all but recognized Ehrlich lost, but most of those in attendance said they were "sitting tight" and would "wait and see."

Very rarely does an incumbent play the underdog role roll in an election, especially after a four-year term absent of a major scandal and with the state economy surging. But Ehrlich found himself in such a position the past few months, fighting off a flurry of attacks from his opponent, O'Malley, and a national resentment toward the GOP.

Down in polls for most of the campaign season, Ehrlich rode a wave of good will the past week after he was endorsed by The Washington Post and recent polls showed he was dead even with O'Malley going into Election Day.

The race was heavily contested through the weekend and Election Day as Ehrlich printed fliers handed out at polling stations yesterday that showed pictures of him and Lt. Gov. Michael Steele alongside Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson, former County Executive Wayne K. Curry and former NAACP president Kweisi Mfume.

Labeled as an "official voter guide," the flier suggested the three supported Ehrlich and Steele. Democrats chided the fliers as inaccurate sample ballots.

Trying not to make the same mistake Townsend made four years ago when she was blown away by Ehrlich after too heavily relying on the state's large Democratic voter base, O'Malley ran a relentless campaign that gave Ehrlich a much tougher run for his money than he faced in his last election.

In what turned out to be a battle of records, O'Malley accused Ehrlich of mishandling the budget, accusing Ehrlich of underfunding public education in the state, cutting the higher education budget and driving up property taxes after he had made promises of no tax hikes four years ago.

Ehrlich, however, remained on the offensive despite O'Malley's attacks, berating the mayor for Baltimore's continued high crime rate and low passing rate among public schools.

Neither campaign trumped the other in terms of exposure or shock value, and both candidates engaged in moderate advertising on television. Ehrlich spent about $13 million to O'Malley's approximately $10.4 million, which is about $3.8 million more than he spent in 2002.

Each stuck to his familiar attack strategies, but O'Malley was riding a national wave of Democratic support that hurt Ehrlich for much of the campaign and kept him behind in the polls.

The year got off to a bad start for Ehrlich, with the General Assembly overriding every one of his vetoes from 2005, including a Wal-Mart bill he staunchly opposed that would force the retail giant to change its health benefits. Things went from bad to worse when he took the brunt of the blame for massive increases in electric rates as caps on the industry came off, skyrocketing the utility bills of state residents.

But 2006 also marked the first year Ehrlich increased funding for higher education, and for the first time in his four-year term, tuition was not raised. He also saw large amounts of funding put into the state's rainy day fund, which was another effect of the surplus he created after delivering the state out of deficit when he took office.

Ehrlich also saw the Intercounty Connector break ground for the first time in its 50 year history of sitting on the shelf, and he was quick to let everyone know he was the one who got things moving.

Though chances of victory seem slim, Ehrlich hasn't given up hope just yet.

"We're going into overtime," he said. "We always win in overtime - right?"

Contact reporter Owen Praskievicz at praskieviczdbk@gmail.com.