Unions Offer Bounty Of Votes, Foot Soldiers

His volunteer efforts in recent weeks included posting yard signs, along with about 30 other union members. "For O'Malley alone, we've put up almost a thousand," Howard said.

In past years, such elbow grease has been indispensable.

"There are several victorious Maryland candidates who would not have been successful without grass-roots labor support," said Barry Ruben, a former campaign aide and administration official under Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D). Among those Ruben counts in that category are his former boss, who in 1994 emerged from a Democratic primary field after securing the endorsement of the statewide AFL-CIO.

The candidates with the most to gain might be those with the least of other resources.

Simms, a Baltimore lawyer, received a boost for his attorney general campaign last week when the AFL-CIO embraced his candidacy after the union's preferred candidate -- Montgomery County Council member Tom Perez -- was ousted from the race by the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Simms entered the final weeks of his campaign with about one-twentieth the cash of his Democratic rival, Douglas F. Gansler, the state's attorney in Montgomery. At the Baltimore rally last week, Simms was enthusiastically received after being introduced as "Brother Simms" by Fred Mason, the state AFL-CIO president.

Del. Peter Franchot (D-Montgomery), who polls show running third in the Democratic primary for comptroller, is hoping to parlay endorsements of both the AFL-CIO and the teachers' union into a surprise win Sept. 12.

"I have a campaign based on grass-roots turnout, and they define the grass roots of the Democratic Party," Franchot said.