MARYLAND; Campaign Notebook
Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening has been almost invisible while his fellow Democrat and political partner of eight years, Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, has campaigned to succeed him.</br></br>But starting this week, he will be reappear, courtesy of Townsend's Republican opponent, Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. Ehrlich unveiled a television ad yesterday that prominently features Glendening, a move clearly intended to exploit the governor's eroding popularity.</br></br>The spot opens with Glendening saying: "Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and I are proud of our record. We're very proud of our record." A voice-over follows, describing the state's $1.7 billion budget deficit, its troubled criminal justice system, and a recent failure to complete background checks for some gun owners.</br></br>"Bob Ehrlich is a candidate who started his campaign on a negative note, who has stayed negative the entire campaign and who is getting nastier and nastier as we get close to Election Day," said Peter Hamm, a Townsend spokesman.</br></br>Hamm added, "If Bob Ehrlich thinks he's running against Parris Glendening, he's going to be very surprised when he loses to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend next Tuesday."