Maryland Republicans

WASHINGTON -- The House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to kill a package of firearms restrictions so watered down that gun control advocates refused to support it.Democratic leaders and gun control supporters in both parties decided to defeat the bill after Republican leaders pushed through an amendment yesterday that not only fell short of Senate-passed restrictions but would also loosen some current gun laws.The measure, defeated 280-147, was also opposed by moderate Republicans, as well as by the most vigorous gun rights advocates in both parties, who thought even its modest provisions were too great a burden on gun owners.

REGARDLESS of how President Clinton's impeachment trial turns out, U.S. House Republicans have risked their national reputation with their campaign to unseat a popular president for deeds the public doesn't think of as impeachable offenses.If Mr. Clinton's popularity remains high, the GOP will pay -- for voters will have their revenge.That's why Maryland Republicans must set out to carve an independent identity. This is particularly important because, with the exception of the two Ellen Sauerbrey gubernatorial campaigns, the Maryland GOP has not paid enough attention to policy matters.

ONCE AGAIN it appears as if Sen. Paul Sarbanes will not need his running shoes for his re-election run. The same scuffed loafers will do for this politician who has not faced a threatening opponent in years.Mr. Sarbanes' election to an unprecedented fifth term as a U.S. senator from Maryland seems inevitable but for one possibility that promises the thrill of forcing him to break a sweat in the next campaign. After the March 2000 primary, a well-financed Rep. Constance Morella, a Montgomery County Republican, could be standing next to him at the starting line.

SO ELLEN R. Sauerbrey wants to run the state Republican Party. Don't expect miracles, but the twice-defeated gubernatorial candidate at least offers a unifying figure at a time when the party seems headed for bitter disputes.The situation in Maryland is similar to the scene in Washington. Chastened by defeat on Nov. 3, rebellious House Republicans convinced Speaker Newt Gingrich to leave, then talked of a new direction.Ms. Sauerbrey also spoke of a new direction for local Republicans after losing her race -- broadening the party's conservative base to appeal to minorities, environmentalists and soccer moms.

WASHINGTON -- With a House vote on impeachment likely within two weeks, members are facing a decision fraught with legal, moral and political implications: whether to vote to impeach a president for just the second time in history.For the Republicans who control Congress, the decision is difficult enough -- the public widely opposes impeachment. But for those with an eye on higher office, such as Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Baltimore County, the vote could prove especially -- perilous.Barring evidence that knocks down the allegations of lying under oath, obstructing justice and abusing power, Ehrlich says, he expects to vote to impeach President Clinton for his actions in the Monica Lewinsky matter.

WASHINGTON -- How much freedom is a good thing for a Republican? The question is being debated with some heat in the House of Representatives, where two Maryland Republicans -- Reps. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Baltimore County and Wayne T. Gilchrest of the Eastern Shore -- have emerged as the chief spokesmen for rival camps.Ehrlich, a junior whip who seeks votes for Republican priorities, argues that too much independence has led to an unruly session this year. The slender House Republican majority means that a handful of dissidents can derail the party's priorities there.

DESPITE SETBACKS in the recent elections, Maryland Republicans were noticeably upbeat at their convention last week in Annapolis.From the officers they elected to their unofficial roster of candidates for statewide office, the party displayed unity and new breadth.As if they were a disciplined machine, GOP contenders for chairman stepped back in deference to Richard D. Bennett, the former U.S. attorney and candidate for lieutenant governor, to accept lesser offices and declared themselves well pleased.

WASHINGTON -- Barbara A. Mikulski quickly cruised to nomination last night for a third six-year term in the Senate, headlining a successful primary evening for all of Maryland's congressional incumbents in both parties.Mikulski, a 62-year-old Democrat, brushed aside two minor candidates -- one of them a Finnish-born men's rights activist."It's a very good night for me," Mikulski said, but she acknowledged that she was disturbed by the low voter turnout. "I think voters have been on the decline for several years.

REPUBLICANS received great news from voters around the ccountry last Tuesday. But that message may not translate well for Maryland Republicans next year.Victory in Virginia! Victory in New Jersey! Victory in Democratic New York City!But if you look closely at the reasons for those GOP wins, it is tough to draw a connecting line to Maryland.In Virginia, the telling issue was repeal of a detested car tax. In New Jersey, the cutting issue was exorbitant auto insurance rates. And in the Big Apple, the mayor's success in vastly cutting crime and grime carried the day.These issues won't work for Republicans here.

LOCAL ELECTIONS decided in several Maryland municipalities Tuesday were largely non-partisan affairs with their own unique quirks. That makes it tough to draw many connections between them and next year's statewide campaigns.Nevertheless, Maryland Republicans have to be pleased.In Annapolis, Dean L. Johnson, until recently a federal transportation economist, returned the mayoral seat to the GOP for the first time since 1985. The mayor in Annapolis also votes on the eight-member City Council, which apparently will be split evenly between Democrats and Republicans.

Maryland Republicans are at a crossroads. They face a Democratic governor and legislature and a lopsided electoral map. Friction between libertarians and social conservatives continues to cause intraparty strife. The good news: Maryland Republicans have the freedom that comes with low expectations. They may experiment without fear, lead by example and serve as a model for the nation. Here are seven strategies that may help the beleaguered state GOP jump-start its fortunes. 1. Bring disparate elements together.

At least somebody's not waiting around for Bob Ehrlich. Michael Pappas, a relatively unknown lawyer from Towson whose sole elective experience so far is a stint on the Baltimore County Republican Central Committee, is doing what none of the luminaries of the state GOP seem willing to: announcing his intention to challenge Gov. Martin O'Malley. Mr. Pappas acknowledges that he doesn't have the name recognition or the fundraising ability that Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. built up during his terms in Congress and his four years as governor.

These are especially trying times for Maryland Republicans. They suffered crushing defeats in the most recent election. They are outnumbered and often sidelined in Annapolis. They are having trouble raising campaign cash. And internal tensions are simmering at the state party's headquarters. But they also see an opportunity in this General Assembly session. There the GOP is honing a critique of Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley's fiscal stewardship, and they are hammering topics such as rising electricity rates, driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and a proposed death penalty repeal, issues on which they see themselves as aligned with mainstream Marylanders.

In 2006, when the first GOP governor in four decades was defeated, it seemed Maryland Republicans' fortunes could not get any worse. Now, two years later, the party has achieved what Yogi Berra famously called "d?j? vu all over again." In a humiliating setback, Republicans lost the 1st Congressional District seat they have held comfortably since 1990, reducing the GOP's presence in the state's congressional delegation to a single seat. As recently as 2002, half the state's House members were Republicans.

St. Paul, MINN. - Head home, hunker down and hope for the best. That was the recipe for Maryland Republicans as they departed their party's national convention to prepare for an election they hope puts John McCain in the White House. There's not much of a chance of McCain's taking Maryland, which last went for a Republican in 1988 and has drifted leftward ever since. But national polls are close, and state Republican leaders say a McCain victory could boost the prospects of a party that has been playing defense for years.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Deprived of sleep and the chance to change his clothes, Michael S. Steele landed here Sunday night and was whisked to the cavernous Fox News tent at the Republican convention for yet another national television appearance. The former Maryland lieutenant governor hugged Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and bumped fists with conservative commentator Sean Hannity as he took his seat on an elevated, red-carpeted stage. Clad in linen slacks and a purple shirt beneath his blazer, Steele delivered the kind of smooth defense of John McCain that has made him a regular on the network.

Maryland Republicans - especially women - applauded the addition of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to their party's presidential ticket yesterday, saying she delivered strong conservative credentials and a youthful complement to John McCain's maverick reputation. "I think she is a great choice," said former Republican gubernatorial candidate Ellen R. Sauerbrey, saying the 44-year-old mother of five, abortion opponent and lifetime National Rifle Association member would "do a great deal to shore up the conservative base."

With the loss of the governor's office and a handful of seats in a General Assembly that was already overwhelmingly Democratic, it's understandable that Maryland Republicans are feeling blue since the election. Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s defeat is a particularly disappointing moment for party loyalists, many of whom labored a generation or more before finally witnessing a GOP governor in Annapolis. But while the setback is significant, it needn't be long-term. Maryland Republicans have simply returned to where they were just eight years ago when Gov. Parris N. Glendening was elected to a second term, sweeping past Baltimore County's Ellen R. Sauerbrey, 55 percent to 45 percent.

In January 2003, the luxury suites of the Camden Yards baseball stadium reverberated with hip-hop sounds as Republicans celebrated the inauguration of Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. as governor - the first step in what they hoped would be a "permanent realignment" of Maryland politics. Nearly four years later, those hopes are in jeopardy as Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley declared victory in the governor's race last night and Democrats appeared poised to make significant gains in the General Assembly.

With the filing deadline for candidates passed, Maryland's much-anticipated election season officially kicked off last week. For the first time in a half-century, a Republican governor is running as an incumbent. Long-suffering members of Maryland's GOP have been looking forward to this day from the moment Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was elected governor in 2002. And with an improved economy, and voters' historic penchant for re-electing incumbent governors, they would appear to have reason to celebrate.