Exit of a Champion

REPUBLICANS and conservatives suffered a lot of losses last month, on Election Day. And one of the toughest to take was that of Robert L. Ehrlich, the governor of Maryland. He is a true-blue Reagan conservative, and he governed one of the most liberal and Democratic states in the Union. In 2002, he pulled off a surprise, beating Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, 51 percent to 48. This year, however, he lost to Martin O’Malley, the mayor of Baltimore. The vote was 53 percent to 46.

Thus has one of the brightest stars in the Republican party been sidelined, maybe permanently.

About the Author

Jay Nordlinger

Jay Nordlinger was a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow at National Review Institute.

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REPUBLICANS and conservatives suffered a lot of losses last month, on Election Day. And one of the toughest to take was that of Robert L. Ehrlich, the governor of Maryland. He is a true-blue Reagan conservative, and he governed one of the most liberal and Democratic states in the Union. In 2002, he pulled off a surprise, beating Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, 51 percent to 48. This year, however, he lost to Martin O’Malley, the mayor of Baltimore. The vote was 53 percent to 46.

Thus has one of the brightest stars in the Republican party been sidelined, maybe permanently.