The Maryland Republican Party may not be moving on from former Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-Baltimore), but it seems to be moving forward.
 
Republican Jim Shalleck, former chair of the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, once called Ehrlich the party's "titular leader." Over a thousand Republicans attended a Corn Roast fundraiser for Ehrlich in October. Until this week, Ehrlich seemed to be the guy to take on Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Baltimore) in 2010, but that may be changing.
 
Ehrlich continues to remain vague about his ambitions. His absence from this weekend's state GOP Fall 2008 Convention and Tuesday's announcement that Republican Mike Pappas had formed a gubernatorial exploratory committee, calls into question Ehrlich's ambitions and his current role in the state Party.
 
"If I had to speculate right now, I don't think Ehrlich's going to run," Chris Cavey, the party's first vice-chair, told PolitickerMD.com. Cavey said at least two other Republicans have expressed an interest in running, but didn't give names.
 
"No longer is it just about Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele in Maryland," Andrew Langer, a Queen Anne's County Central Committee member, told PolitickerMD.com. Langer also felt several other credible Republicans would enter the race.
 
Ehrlich spokesman Henry Fawell said Ehrlich's thinking remains unchanged despite Pappas's announcement and that is was premature to speculate for 2010.

"Time and the political landscape," Fawell said, would determine whether Ehrlich runs for public office in the future.
 
But the clock is ticking.
 
Maryland is deeply blue and whoever takes on Gov. Martin O'Malley (D-Baltimore) will need plenty of money and recourses. Maryland Republicans are outnumbered 33 to 14 in the state Senate and 104 to 36 in the state House. Both U.S. Senators are Democrats and the GOP lost the Republican-held 1st Congressional District seat to a Democrat in November.
 
"He can't sit around and wait," said Del. J.B. Jennings (R-Harford County) of Ehrlich's ambitions, but added his entry into the race could change the plans of other candidates.
 
Meanwhile, Pappas is the only official candidate in the race against O'Malley. He welcomed challengers to participate in the primary and said a potential Ehrlich run would not affect his decision. It would be a "nice primary," Pappas told PolitickerMD.com.
 
Ehrlich served as governor from 2003 to 2007, before being defeated by O'Malley. Ehrlich represented Maryland's 2nd Congressional District from 1995 to 2003 and was a state delegate for District 10 from 1991 to 1995.