Former Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich Wants His Old Job Back

Four years after losing his re-election bid for governor of Maryland, Robert Ehrlich Jr. wants a rematch. The Republican announced Tuesday he will bank on anti-incumbent sentiment and run against Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley in November, The Baltimore Sun reported.

"Next week, I'm going to announce my candidacy for governor," Ehrlich, 52, said in a conference call with reporters.

In 2006, Ehrlich lost to the former Baltimore mayor by six percentage points.

Since then Ehrlich never quite got out of campaign mode, conducting polls and occasionally fundraising in addition to hosting a weekly talk show on a Baltimore radio station. Most recently, the former congressman spent months crisscrossing the heavily Democratic state on a "listening tour."

Both candidates are expected to focus on the economy, according to The Washington Post:

O'Malley argues that Maryland will emerge from the recession stronger than most states because of his financial stewardship, while Ehrlich says that tax increases and O'Malley initiatives have hurt the state's business climate.

Ehrlich will face businessman Brian Murphy in the GOP primary.

On the Democratic side, O'Malley will be challenged by former state delegate George W. Owings III, who served as secretary of veterans affairs under Ehrlich.