The election was glorious, Gov.-elect Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. told hundreds of elated Republicans at the party's annual convention yesterday. Now, he warned, let's not foul it up.

The mood was gleeful, and a touch boastful, at the Radisson Hotel in Annapolis, where Republicans from every Maryland county filled a ballroom to standing-room-only capacity - the type of GOP gathering usually reserved for a presidential visit.

And while Ehrlich, the keynote speaker and party leader, reveled in the applause and hoots of support, he warned the crowd that the hard part was still ahead.

"Now, the election's over and the business of government is about to begin," he said. "It's real easy being in the minority in government. People leave you alone. ... The press doesn't show up.

"The ease of permanent minority status is over, because we are no longer in the minority," Ehrlich continued. "All will judge how we handle political power for the first time in a long time. Believe it or not, there are people out there who don't want us to succeed."

His instructions to the faithful were to be disciplined, united and competent. "A united front is an absolute necessity to grow this party, and we know it. ... This opportunity arises about once every 40 years. Failure is not an option."

Ehrlich is the first Republican governor elected in Maryland since Spiro T. Agnew in 1966. His victory has greatly boosted party hopes that it can become a force in state politics at every level.

Yesterday, for the first time, that seemed possible to many GOP stalwarts.

They bought "Happiness is a Repub- lican Governor" bumper stickers and "Wee-Publican" baby bibs and joked about how they couldn't stop smiling. Finally, after more than three decades of planning and grousing, their annual gathering was a celebration.

"This is, without a doubt, very different in tone," said Republican strategist Carol L. Hirschburg. "We just have so much to rejoice about."

But the election gains also present the challenge of running the government, which most Maryland Republicans have never experienced.

Rather, Ehrlich said afterward, some in the state GOP have espoused an almost anti-government philosophy focusing on individual rights.

Yesterday he reminded party members that to succeed in Annapolis they have no choice but to cooperate with their longtime nemeses: Democrats. Despite Republican gains in the Senate and House of Delegates, Democrats maintain overwhelming majorities in both chambers.

In addition, Republicans should discuss their differences over potentially party-splitting issues such as gambling and abortion in controlled, internecine debates, rather than grandstanding, Ehrlich said.

"I'm not going to stifle dissent," Ehrlich said later. "Dissent is good. All I'm saying is, there are ways to do it. ... Understanding that is political maturity. We haven't had to be mature because we were irrelevant."

Some die-hard members clearly aren't budging, however. Robert Hoffman of Randallstown, a GOP central committee member in Baltimore County, wore a "Pro-life" pin on his lapel.

"I feel that he'll sign pro-life legislation," he said of Ehrlich, who portrayed himself as a supporter of abortion rights during the campaign.

Lawmakers in attendance said they felt both pride and responsibility as they prepare for a new General Assembly session next month.

"Folks like me have been slugging it out for years. We felt like we've been keeping the embers burning for this day to arrive," said Southern Maryland Del. Anthony J. O'Donnell. "So we feel somewhat vindicated."

On the other hand, he added, "I know things are going to be different. We're going to have to work with the majority in a way we haven't in the past."

House Minority Leader Alfred W. Redmer Jr. agreed. "My job is not just to deliver Republican votes to Governor Ehrlich," he said, "but also Democratic votes."

While Republicans will push hard for Ehrlich's agenda - charter schools, Project Exile for gun criminals, faith-based initiatives - the caucus also will have its own priorities and must exercise "a great deal of collaboration" with Democrats, he added.

Both Ehrlich and Lt. Gov.-elect Michael S. Steele spoke yesterday of seizing the opportunity to increase Republicans' power in Maryland.

"The party is in a real position to create that two-party system," Steele said.

To do so, the GOP must convert masses of Democrats to the cause, pitching a message of tolerance and moderation; already their net is cast to bring in African-Americans and other ethnic minorities.

"The next time we meet, I want to see more black faces in this room - and there will be, believe me," Ehrlich said.

Steele, who is black, is a large part of that strategy.

"I'm hoping that Michael is a beacon to bring African-Americans to the party, not just because he's black but because they will hear him articulate the issues in a way they can understand," said Victor Clark, an African-American and the departing chairman of Baltimore's Republican Party.

Also at the convention, Republicans voted in (with only a lone "nay") a new chairman, John Kane of Montgomery County.

He energetically took the microphone and vowed that that one dissenter would be proud of his efforts to broaden GOP influence.

"A good Republican is an elected Republican," Kane said.