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Tax returns released by the leading contenders for governor this weekend are unlikely to yield much benefit for either candidate, observers said.

Still, both campaigns attempted to score political points by claiming transparency and assailing their opponent.

The campaign of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. released his tax returns for the past five years on Friday, and Gov. Martin O'Malley's campaign followed on Saturday morning with his three most recent returns. Both camps let reporters review the documents for three hours, but did not allow copies to be made.

Ehrlich (R) earned nearly $2.5 million since leaving office in 2007, which largely comprises his salary at the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, where he worked as a so-called "rainmaker" in helping to attract potential clients, according to aides.

His wife, Kendel Ehrlich, made $45,686 last year as a board member of BankAnnapolis, and the couple received $101,299 over the past three years for hosting a weekly talk show on WBAL-AM and other speaking engagements, according to the returns.

O'Malley's returns were less revealing because the salaries of both him and his wife, Catherine Curran O'Malley, a Baltimore city District Court judge, are public. As governor, Martin O'Malley (D) makes $150,000 annually. Catherine O'Malley reported wages between $109,500 and $115,500, even though District Court judges earn $127,252 a year. Campaign officials could not immediately explain the discrepancy.

Combined, the couple made just more than $900,000 in the past three years. They earned nearly $127,000 in pension income, which O'Malley collects from serving 16 years in elected office in Baltimore — two four-year terms each as city councilman and mayor.

All told, the Ehrlichs paid $860,194 in federal, state and local taxes in the past three years, according to calculations tabulated by The Gazette. The O'Malley's tax bill was $268,573.

The tax returns also revealed each candidate's charitable donations. The Ehrlichs gave $35,705 to 124 organizations in the past three years, while the O'Malleys contributed nearly $20,000. His campaign did not release which groups he gave to, but said the largest share went to his church.

Neither candidate was required by law to release their tax returns, although numerous media outlets had made requests to both campaigns. O'Malley said he would show his tax records only after Ehrlich did.

Both campaigns attempted to frame the release of tax forms as a commitment to openness and transparency.

"He made a decision very early on that this was something he wanted to do because he believes in transparency, and he wants to be honest with the citizens of Maryland," said Ehrlich communications director Henry Fawell.

O'Malley has received national recognition for his work to enhance government transparency and accountability, said Rick Abbruzzese, the governor's campaign communications director.

Why then was O'Malley not first out of the gate, Fawell asked rhetorically.

"It's consistent with the campaign," he said. "They seem to be reacting to Bob Ehrlich's ideas, Bob Ehrlich's message, and now they're reacting to his commitment to transparency. Bob Ehrlich leads; they seem to follow."

Ehrlich's tax returns still don't explain what the former governor actually did to earn such a big paycheck from the law firm, Abbruzzese countered.

"The fact of the matter is Bob Ehrlich made a significant amount of money at Womble Carlyle, and they have still not answered questions about what interests he was representing while working at that firm for the last three years," he said.

The tax records are unlikely to change voters' minds, political scientists said.

But it can help shape the campaigns' strategy going forward.

Expect O'Malley to continue portraying Ehrlich as a lobbyist who used his political connections to attract business for the law firm, said Herbert C. Smith, a McDaniel College political science professor.

"We know from past campaigns that it's not totally advantageous to be identified as a lobbyist," he said. "They're probably below lawyers in the pantheon of American political scorn."

It could be tough for Ehrlich to sell a blue-collar image that can identify with middle-class Marylanders with such a high salary, said Adam Hoffman, director of the Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Salisbury University.

"This is what challengers who have worked in the private sector before they run for office face," he said.

O'Malley could win some votes with middle-class voters if Ehrlich's private-sector salary consistently becomes a campaign talking point. "The framing of your opposition is critical to your success or failure," Smith said.

However, wealth has not proved a liability to candidates in the past.

"American voters have had no problem electing multimillionaires to public office," Smith said. "Economic success has not been a detriment to campaign success."

abrody@gazette.net