Some Republicans fear adding Curry

Democrat in No. 2 slot seen as a risk

Friday, Nov. 11, 2005

ANNAPOLIS — The widespread speculation here that Democrat Wayne K. Curry might cross party lines to become Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.’s running mate is not sitting well with some in the Republican Party.

With Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R) announcing he will run for the U.S. Senate, attention has shifted to Ehrlich (R) and his re-election campaign.

The capital has been buzzing for weeks that Curry, a former Prince George’s county executive with keen political instincts and statewide connections, might help Ehrlich make inroads in African-American communities, especially in Prince George’s and Baltimore.

Curry, a lawyer whose relationship with the Democratic Party is known to be strained, has done nothing to disavow talk that he may be willing to join the Ehrlich ticket.

Nor has the governor squelched the Curry rumors, which is raising some GOP eyebrows. The rumors were discussed during a recent meeting of the House Republican caucus where a handful of delegates expressed their frustration that the governor may pick a Democrat instead of a Republican for the No. 2 spot on the ticket.

‘‘Wayne Curry is very established as a leader and he did a good job in Prince George’s County,” said Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. (R-Dist. 1C) of Clear Spring. ‘‘But I believe that looking at this from a Republican perspective, I would be totally against having Wayne Curry as a running mate for Governor Ehrlich.”

Myers continued, ‘‘It’s important that the governor’s running mate is a true Republican and that the person’s roots are more firmly planted. I don’t think the governor needs to pick a Democrat to prove anything.”

Myers and other Republican delegates laid out their concerns to Joseph Getty, an Ehrlich policy adviser and former GOP delegate, during the meeting.

Sen. David R. Brinkley (R-Dist. 4) of New Market said he, too, has heard similar concerns from Republicans. He said they have approached him at dinners and other events to express wariness about Ehrlich choosing a Democrat for his lieutenant governor.

By picking Curry or another Democrat, Ehrlich would run the risk of a backlash from his base, similar to the one that helped doom the 2002 Townsend campaign, Brinkley said. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) chose Charles R. Larson, an unknown white former Republican, as her running mate — a move that mystified and angered Democrats.

‘‘If history is any lesson, all you have to do is look at 2002,” Brinkley said. ‘‘I believe there is a sentiment out there that the Republican bench is deep enough and there are qualified team players who are available in the Republican Party to be running mate.”

Another concern, he said, is that Ehrlich’s running mate would be the de facto Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2010 if Ehrlich were re-elected next year.

Ehrlich spokesman Henry P. Fawell said the administration does not comment on running mate speculation.

He stressed, however, ‘‘that when the time comes for the governor to select a running mate, [Ehrlich] will take the views of the Republican lawmakers into consideration.”

Having Curry on his ticket would carry some political benefits for Ehrlich, which could outweigh the risks of alienating some Republicans. Curry, an African American, is an aggressive campaigner, a strong fund-raiser and a convincing speaker.

Like Steele, he can both talk to corporate executives and bring crowds to their feet in African-American churches.

But Curry is not said to be eager to be anyone’s No. 2.

Not all Republicans are wary of Curry. Del. Richard B. Weldon (R-Dist. 3B) of Brunswick said it is ‘‘asinine” to compare the potential of Ehrlich selecting a Democratic running mate to the Townsend debacle.

‘‘If any Republican state legislator is that worried about who Governor Ehrlich would choose for his running mate, then they should have had their name on the ballot for governor two years ago,” Weldon said. ‘‘It’s not my role or any of my colleagues’ role to weigh in on that decision. This should be the governor’s choice and we should support that choice.”

Myers and other Republicans say they are 100 percent supportive of Ehrlich and would continue to support the team, but emphasized that concerns from the Republican base need to be taken seriously.