VOLuntarilyConservative

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele - one of my favorite conservative Republicans and a man who has seen his stock rise exponentially in the past year - announced this morning that he has formed an exploratory committee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Paul Sarbanes. I had urged Marylanders over the past few months to draft Steele. He is very charismatic, and that might make the difference in a race with former NAACP head (and scandal magnet) Kweisi Mfume. (Mfume has at least five illegitimate children from three different women.) You can catch an interview with Michael Steele - where he recognizes the power of political blogs - here.

Considering that he would be the most conservative politician elected from Maryland in my lifetime, this announcement is something for even those of us lucky enough not to live in Maryland (which many of its residents refer to as "tax hell") to get excited about. Steele is to the Right of Governor Ehrlich (a friend of my grandfather, a resident of Maryland), which would normally make him unelectable in liberal Maryland. However, if there was ever a chance to elect a strong conservative to office in Maryland, it is now. I urge the National Republican Senatorial Committee to make this race as much of a priority as Tennessee and Florida. All three of those states need to stay in the hands of conservatives, and if Michael Steele, Ed Bryant, and Katherine Harris are elected, they will be.