Republican National Committee chairman to address St. Mary’s GOP

Friday, May 26, 2006

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, a Baltimore native and a close friend of Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., will be the keynote speaker for the partisan gathering.

‘‘We’re just as happy as can be,” said Samuel ‘‘Tom” Haynie, chairman of the St. Mary’s County Republican Central Committee.

Mehlman’s scheduled appearance, which an RNC spokesman confirmed, suggests national and state GOP officials have high hopes for what are called ‘‘purple” counties like St. Mary’s that have an almost even number of registered Democrats and Republicans.

‘‘Unlike the Democratic Party that seems to rely on only three counties in the state, the Republican Party believes every county is important,” said Maryland Republican Party spokeswoman Audra Miller, referring to the Democratic strongholds of Baltimore city, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

Haynie believes Republicans are on the rise in St. Mary’s, which has made it a key battleground.

‘‘The Republican population is growing here by leaps and bounds,” he said. ‘‘We managed to turn out a terrific Republican response to the last presidential election, and I don’t think that went unnoticed.”

In 2004, President George W. Bush garnered nearly 63 percent of the vote in St. Mary’s County.

Mehlman’s appearance will give visibility to local Republican candidates such as St. Mary’s County Commission President Thomas F. McKay, who is challenging Sen. Roy Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles).

He is also expected to rally the troops for several high-profile races at the top of the ticket. Ehrlich (R), the state’s first Republican governor in nearly four decades, will face either Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley or Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan in the November general election. Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele (R) is vying for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Md.), while Frederick County State’s Attorney Scott L. Rolle is hoping to become the first Republican Attorney General since 1954.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland political science professor Zach Messitte indicated that Mehlman may also have his own future political aspirations.

‘‘A [39]-year-old guy from Baltimore who’s risen this far this fast, what do you do for an encore?” Messitte said. ‘‘I would think he’d have more than a passing interest in Maryland politics, particularly given the lack of big name Republicans in the state.”

Mehlman, a Harvard Law School graduate who was elected RNC chairman in January 2005, previously worked on the 2000 and 2004 Bush-Cheney campaigns, the latter as campaign manager.

He was Bush’s political director during part of his first term and has a lengthy political resume.

Past Lincoln⁄Reagan dinners have featured Steele and other Republican leaders, but Haynie said Mehlman is the highest-ranking national GOP official to attend.

‘‘He didn’t get to be the chairman of the national Republican committee by accident,” Haynie said. He’s an intelligent man with a lot to offer.”

E-mail Alan Brody at abrody@somdnews.com.