O'Malley Comes A-Courtin'

Area Officials Rally With Endorsements

During Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley's visit Friday with Southern Maryland Democratic officials, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, left, O'Malley, lieutenant governor candidate Del. Anthony Brown and Del. Murray D. Levy (Charles) all turn to honor Evelyn W. Arnold, the retiring St. Mary's County Circuit Court clerk. (By Bill O'leary -- The Washington Post)

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, the presumptive Democratic nominee for governor, came to Waldorf on Friday to pick up the endorsements of more than two dozen elected officials in Southern Maryland.

Just two months ago, several of the endorsers, including state Sen. Thomas M. Middleton (D), gathered at a sprawling Charles County farm to endorse O'Malley's opponent in the Democratic primary, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan. But Duncan dropped out of the race last month, and Southern Maryland's Democratic officials -- like the party establishment across the state -- quickly rallied around O'Malley and his running mate, Del. Anthony G. Brown (Prince George's).

On stage Friday, with a green-and-white O'Malley-Brown banner behind them and matching stickers on their lapels, were the titans of Southern Maryland politics. There was Middleton, the Charles County farmer who has served two decades in elected office. There was state Sen. Roy P. Dyson (D), a former congressman and fixture in St. Mary's politics since the 1970s. And there was U.S. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, the House Democratic whip from Mechanicsville. The only top Democrat missing was state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (Calvert), who has officially endorsed O'Malley but had a scheduling conflict.

O'Malley delivered a short speech highlighting his agenda for families as well as addressing such issues important to Southern Marylanders as transportation and growth.

"Why do we run? We run for Maryland. We run for the people of Maryland," O'Malley said, a line he repeated several times.

"We will work with you," he added. "Anthony and I are going to do everything in our power to bring you leadership that works."

The Baltimore mayor said he would help improve the transportation infrastructure in Southern Maryland, including perhaps the extension of light rail service to the area. "I hope to get back on the path of developing in ways that are smart," he said.

O'Malley was critical of the governor he's trying to unseat, Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., but the most piercing criticisms came from his endorsers.

"On issue after issue, Governor Ehrlich has opposed hard-working Maryland families," Hoyer said. "We can do better, we must do better, we will do better with these two dynamic Democrats."

Charles County Commissioner Edith J. Patterson (D-Pomfret) said O'Malley would govern with the interests of working-class families at heart.

"Do we have a governor on the side of corporate interests or do we want a governor on the side of families?" Patterson asked.

Ehrlich's spokesman said the governor has worked hard for Southern Maryland and plans visits to highlight his accomplishments.