The mainstream press is almost giddy in their proclamations of the GOP's demise as a political force, and nowhere is that more apparent than here in Maryland, where Republicans have always had an uphill battle because of the counties north and south of the Washington DC Metro area and Baltimore City. These three jurisdictions override the will of the rest of the state, which is why we've only had six Republican governors and no GOP control of the General Assembly since before the Civil War.

The dire economic news and the state's poor handling of its budget crisis has presented the Maryland GOP with a window of opportunity but one wonders if anyone is going to crawl through it. Since Martin O'Malley defeated the last Republican governor, Bob Ehrlich, in 2006 and assumed the governor's role, the state has become a high-tax, anti-business nightmare with statistics that give the economic development marketers at the state level chills. Maryland has the 4th highest combined tax rate in the country, is the 5th least friendly to business and has the 6th highest cost of living. The O'Malley Administration hit us with a $1.4 billion tax bill in 2007, the largest in state history, and is consistently running deficits of $1 billion or more each year; only the raiding of the rainy day fund, the aforementioned tax increase, and federal stimulus money allowed him to balance the state budget every year as the law requires.

The problem is the Maryland GOP is struggling and our bench strength is weak. The only names that ever come up for statewide office on the GOP side are Ehrlich, who is being coy about his intentions in 2010, and current RNC Chairman Michael Steele, who may want to keep his current gig as long as he can. The GOP state senators and delegates who have comfortable seats aren't inclined to give them up with the exception of Andy Harris, who is seeking a rematch with Congressman Frank Kratovil so he can possibly give the lone GOP member of the Maryland delegation, Roscoe Bartlett, some company in Washington. It would appear we have no alternatives to present to the voters next year or in the years ahead.

Or do we? Mike Pappas, a construction attorney, Maryland GOP parliamentarian and member of the Baltimore City GOP Central Committee has had an exploratory committee in place for several months now, and even the Baltimore Sun, no friend of Republicans, is encouraging him to keep on plugging and for others to join him in the interests of fostering a healthy debate on the direction the state is taking.

Now there's another name out there, and if he decides to throw his hat into the ring, he could draw some attention for a number of reasons. A website popped up early last week asking visitors to "Draft Charles Lollar for Governor 2010." Charles Lollar is a compelling candidate for a number of reasons. First of all, he's a fiery orator and master storyteller and knows how to move an audience, as you can see from this clip of him at the Solomons Tea Party on March 22nd for which I was the master of ceremonies. He's a former Marine officer who served in Kosovo and still does Marine Reserve duty at the Pentagon as an intelligence analyst. He's a corporate manager, has held GOP positions in Georgia and Maryland, and is active in the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Maryland among other groups.

His profile in the Maryland GOP was raised considerably when he was tapped by the party to lead a commission on tax reform in the state of Maryland. He's well versed in the contents of the Maryland budget and the taxes citizens pay to sustain it, and he's been taking his gospel of economic liberty all over the state. As an outspoken and unapologetic black Republican, should he decide to honor the attempt to draft him and announce his candidacy for governor, then politics in the Free State next year will be much more interesting indeed.

For my part, I'm glad to see new names floating around out there for the Maryland GOP, especially one who resides just across the Patuxent River from me in Charles County. I greatly respect Bob Ehrlich and Michael Steele, who took a first-time candidate like me seriously back in 2006 and backed my bid for the Maryland Senate. I'll always be grateful. I know, however, that the Maryland GOP needs to have more leaders and new leaders emerge if it is to have any hope of moving toward a competitive two-party posture in the state. So I agree, perhaps for the first time, with the Sun - the more, the merrier.

Run, Charles, run!