By Daniel LeDuc
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, July 1, 2002; 8:58 AM
 

Republican gubernatorial candidate Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. this morning will name Michael Steele, Maryland's GOP chairman and the only African American state Republican chairman in the nation, as his running mate.

Steele, 43, grew up in a Democratic household in Washington, D.C., but became a Republican early in his adult life. He has said the party's philosophy of working for one's rewards has always appealed to him.

He was winnowed from a list of more than 30 candidates and Ehrlich didn ot make his final decision until late Sunday evening, said the Republican's spokesman Paul Schurick. Ehrlich will make a formal announcement in Annapolis this morning.

As the list narrowed, few candidates met Ehrlich's criteria. "For what we were looking for the choices were very limited – balance and compatibility and an appealing story," Schurick said.

Ehrlich and Steele both grew up in working-class families before entering prestigious universities and beginning careers as lawyers.

Steele was in-house council to the mall developer, The Mills Group, before forming his own business consulting company four years ago.

He lives in Prince George's County. The former chairman of the county's Republican Party, he lost the GOP primary for comptroller four years ago. Last week, Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend named retired Adm. Charles Larson as her running mate. Larson defected from the Republican Party to join her campaign. He is the former superintendent of the U.S.Naval Academy in Annapolis.

Ehrlich had also attempted to raid his opposition party. Two weeks ago he made a public but unsuccessful effort to woo state school superintendent Nancy Grasmick to be his running mate. Grasmick considered but rejected the offer and stayed a Democrat.
 

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