The featured guest at Maryland’s 20th Annual Red, White, and Blue Dinner (6/10/10) was Mitt Romney. The big GOP heavyweight, a big crowd-pleaser, a big fundraiser, and big on restoring America is a big conservative workhorse.

Romney addressed an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 700 Maryland Republicans, Romney spoke on several topics, including Obama’s abysmal handling of the Gulf oil spill. He also endorsed gubernatorial hopeful, former MD governor Bob Ehrlich who is seeking to retake the seat he lost in 2006 to Democrat Governor Martin O’ Malley. The dinner raised $200,000 which will go toward helping ‘The Old Line State’ Republicans.

Other speakers included Ehrlich and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele (former Lieutenant Governor under former Governor Ehrlich).

Mitt Romney with Bob Ehrlich.
Mitt Romney and Bob Ehrlich.

Here is a clip from the Washington Examiner:

LINTHICUM, MD. — Mitt Romney, a potential 2012 presidential candidate,

Bob Ehrlich criticized President Barack Obama on Thursday for not taking a stronger roll in handling the Gulf oil spill disaster.[…]

“How in the world can you leave to BP the responsibility for cleaning up the oil spill when they’re the ones who created it in the first place? We need a leader. We need a leader in this country,” Romney said.
[…]
Ehrlich said this year’s turnout was a big difference from past years at the party’s annual Red, White and Blue dinner.

“The last couple of years were more like a morgue, and tonight more along the lines of ready to win,” Ehrlich told reporters before the dinner started. “Big difference.”

Here is Romney stumping for Ehrlich.

Polling behind O’Malley by six points just four months ago, Ehrlich has now closed the gap. The two are in a dead-heat.

Race by race, state by state, Mitt in a BIG way. Romney provides support to Robert Ehrlich through his Free and Strong America PAC.