Online Encyclopedia
Categories: Governors of Maryland | Members of the U.S. House of Representatives | Members of the Maryland House of Delegates | 1957 births
Robert L. Ehrlich
Robert Leroy Ehrlich, Jr. (born November 25, 1957) is an American politician and the 60th and current governor of Maryland. A Republican, he became governor in 2003 after defeating Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51%-48% in the 2002 elections.
He received degrees from Princeton University (1979) and Wake Forest University Law School (1982) and served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates (1987–1995) and the United States House of Representatives (1995-2003).
Ehrlich is the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew in 1969. His running mate in the 2002 election and current lieutenant governor is Michael Steele. He has sparred with the state legislature over his plans to increase state revenue by legalizing the installing of slot machines at several of Maryland's race tracks.