An unlikely pair will be appearing on the state's political stage soon.
Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., the Republican from Maryland's 2nd District, has signed up a new political director -- Paul E. Schurick, a Democratic operative whose name is virtually synonymous with that of his former boss, William Donald Schaefer.
Schurick, 41, who had worked for Schaefer since Schaefer was mayor of Baltimore, first as a bureaucrat in the city's job training program and later as Governor Schaefer's chief of staff, will start with Ehrlich's campaign organization Dec. 1.
"When you look at the experience, skills, philosophy and personality, it's a fit that I'm comfortable with," Ehrlich said. "We are very, very pleased with it."
Schurick, too, feels that it's a good match.
"I believe I bring him pretty broad and lengthy experience with many of the issues that confront him in his district and those he confronts daily in Washington," he said.
Schurick's hiring is the clearest signal yet that Ehrlich is aggressively pursuing a statewide office in the long term -- probably a U.S. Senate seat in 2000.
The addition of Schurick creates the potential for luring more Democratic support -- grass-roots and financial -- to the Ehrlich camp as the congressman expands his base beyond the district boundaries in Baltimore, Harford and Anne Arundel counties.
But while many in the state GOP believe the move is a strategically good one for Ehrlich and the party, the news rankled some in the Republican rank and file.
"I was surprised. Political operatives don't usually go both ways," said Carol L. Hirschburg, a GOP political consultant.
"I guess Paul's RC-DC," Hirschburg said, explaining that she was referring to Republican candidates and Democratic candidates.
David R. Blumberg, chairman of the Baltimore GOP, said he expected the reaction to be mixed.
"Practically speaking, it's a very good appointment," Blumberg said. "Politically, Bob probably will have some explaining to do in the party -- if he chooses to.
"But he doesn't really need to, since the last time I checked, Bob Ehrlich hadn't lost an election," he said. "His track record has been one of victory after victory. So I'm certainly not going to second-guess this kind of appointment."
Joyce Lyons Terhes, chairwoman of the Maryland Republican Party, said she sees such moves as inevitable if the GOP is to be in a position to flex its muscle in a state where Democratic voters still outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1.
