From dKosopedia

The Contenders

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Democrat

Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., Republican

The Significance

Rep. Ehrlich began his challenge to incumbent Lieutenant Governor Townsend as a long-shot; Republicans had not won Maryland's highest office since 1966. However, an extremely inept Democratic campaign and the reckless spending of the outgoing Democratic administration gave the Republicans a chance, and on election day, Ehrlich won by a not-insubstantial margin. This election highlighted an important trend in recent gubernatorial elections: traditionally Democratic states have begun to elect Republican governors, and vice versa. Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Minnesota, Hawaii, California and Vermont, all Democratic strongholds, now have Republican governors; Indiana, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Kansas and Tennessee, all red states in 2000, have Democratic ones.