By dusk, O'Malley was on stage in a city where he is a constant presence on the nightly news and won reelection last year with 87 percent of the vote.
O'Malley recounted Baltimore's dramatic decline in population since World War II and the city's unwanted distinctions in the 1990s of becoming America's most violent and drug-addicted big city.
"Challenges remain," he said. "But we've gone from being ridiculed on the 'Tonight Show' to being recognized by Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and 'Nightline' -- just this year -- for the progress we've made."
The state Republican Party offered a far different assessment of the city's condition, echoing many of the criticisms leveled by Duncan recently. A flier distributed by the party referred to "Baltimore's Horrendous Crime Epidemic" and noted that "Baltimore schools rank as the worst in Maryland."
Ehrlich was far more restrained in his assessment. During a stop in Montgomery County yesterday, he said he welcomed O'Malley into the race and applauded him for following "his dreams."
Staff writer Tim Craig contributed to this report.
