Flying under the radar in the expanding GOP presidential campaign field is former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich, the
Weekly Standard reports.
Ehrlich has been visiting New Hampshire, speaking at small gatherings but without the heavy media entourage attached to other hot GOP candidates like Rand Paul or Ted Cruz, the Weekly Standard said.
His political success in luring Democrats over to his side as a Republican in a decidedly blue state has set him apart, the Standard added of his career, which now includes work in Washington at a blue-chip law firm.
The notion of his candidacy grew from a book promotion trip to New Hampshire last year. Since then, Ehrlich has come back five times and said he has felt welcomed, the Standard said.
"It's been interesting," he told the Standard of his quiet interest. "We're taking a pretty serious look at" running, Ehrlich added, noting that "if they like you, they let you know. If they like you, the invites come, and they are coming."
His political profile was raised recently as he made multiple television appearances over the last week amid rioting that occurred in Baltimore in the aftermath of the Freddie Gray death, the Standard reported.
In addition to frequent outings in New Hampshire, which holds one of the nation's first primaries, Ehrlich has made visits to New York, Ohio and several other states, the Standard said.
"Obviously this summer we have to figure out what the situation is. Are people responding to my message? Are they lining up to hear more of what I say after I speak? Clearly there's been a little bit of a spark in my public speeches," Ehrlich told
National Journal in January.
"Can that spark cause more sparks? Are there more groups that want to hear me?"
Ehrlich, a Princeton alumnus and Wake Forest law school graduate who served four terms in Congress and one as governor, has strong executive experience but less name recognition in an increasingly crowded field.
He told the
Concord Monitor last month he was still trying to determine what the right next step was for his message as a "common sense conservative."
"The goal is trying to figure out where I could fit in in this field, and if I do," Ehrlich said in April.
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