WASHINGTON – Republican Rep. Robert Ehrlich won’t be donating to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, even though President Clinton asked him nicely.
“They must be really desperate to solicit us,” said Ehrlich spokesman Richard Cross.
As part of a mass mailing, Ehrlich received a letter last week from President Clinton urging him to support the DSCC.
The letter was addressed to “Robert L. Ehrlich, US Senate,” and warned that the Republican-controlled Senate is “just a few votes away from becoming a permanent roadblock to our Democratic agenda.”
“The impression it gives, that President Clinton and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee would like Bob Ehrlich in the Senate, is certainly flattering,” Cross said.
Cross called the error a “pretty big” oversight.
Ehrlich is a House member, not a senator, and has been mentioned as a potential Republican challenger to either of Maryland’s Democratic senators, Barbara Mikulski or Paul Sarbanes.
While the solicitation is amusing, Cross said there appears to be nothing deliberate. “It certainly appears to be a computer error,” he said.
“Essentially what happened is we expanded our database list to about a million people,” said Dana Lewis, spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Lewis said Ehrlich and Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich were included on the mailing list by a mass mailing company that made several errors.
“My take on it is perhaps there’s a secret Democrat in everyone,” Lewis said.
So will the Baltimore County congressman ditch the Republican Party and start supporting the Democrat’s Senate campaign?
“It would be a safe bet to say `no,'” said Cross.
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