It turns out former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has had a pretty lucrative three years since he left office, and he is hoping to use that success as a campaign boost.
The Republican candidate for governor earned $734,633 last year working for Baltimore law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice. He and his wife, Kendall, have earned close to $2.5 million over the past three years. Ehrlich released the information from his 2009 tax return voluntarily on Friday.
If Ehrlich were to make it back to Annapolis, he would receive $150,000 in compensation. The Ehrlich camp wants to use that huge pay cut as evidence that he’s committed to voters.
“Bob Ehrlich showed remarkable leadership in guiding the law office he started in Maryland to success,” Ehrlich spokesman Andy Barth told The Washington Examiner. “Now what’s remarkable is that he wants only to put that success aside and return to public service for another term on helping to create jobs and lower taxes as governor of Maryland.”
Gov. Martin O’Malley of course is questioning the amount of money Ehrlich has made. A campaign spokesman said that the income, “raises questions about what he’s been doing” and that it “shows how out of touch Ehrlich is compared to the average Marylander.”
Over the past year O’Malley and his wife reported an income of $322,000. On top of the governor’s set wage of $150,000, O’Malley earns a $60,680 pension for serving Baltimore as mayor and city councilman. O’Malley’s wife, Catherine, earns $115,486 a year as a Baltimore District Court Judge.