 However, Flanagan was able to chair the Howard County Delegation from 1991 until 1996.Moreover, Flanagan was a high-ranking Republican on many committees, such as the Judiciary Committee (1987–1990), the Joint Audit Committee (1987–1992, 1995-2003), the Appropriations Committee (1991-2003), the Legislative Policy Committee (1997-2002), and the Rules and Executive Nominations Committee (1997-2002).In the 2002 gubernatorial election, Republican Robert Ehrlich defeated Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend to become the first Republican governor of Maryland since Spiro Agnew in 1969.