Blind woman runs for Md. lt. gov. spot

ANNAPOLIS, Md., June 29 (UPI) -- Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has selected Kristen Cox, a member of the state Cabinet who is blind, to run as his lieutenant governor.

Cox, 36, was introduced as Ehrlich's running mate Thursday. She joined the Ehrlich Cabinet in 2003 and leads the state Department of Disabilities. The Utah native has been blind since she was 11.

"We share the philosophical approach of empowering people," Cox said. "When you give people the right training, the right support, the can live productive lives."

Ehrlich said, "She met the two-prong test: personal compatibility, philosophical compatibility."

A poll released Sunday by The Washington Post indicated Ehrlich, a Republican, running behind Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, the front-runner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, by 19 percentage points among women voters. Cox's selection for the lieutenant governor's spot could cut that deficit, a political science professor told the Post.

Ehrlich needed a new candidate for the No. 2 spot on his ticket because Lt. Gov. Michael Steele is running for the U.S. Senate.

The Post said Cox isn't the only blind person running for lieutenant governor this year. New York's Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, has picked state Sen. David Patterson of Manhattan for his running mate.