By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton came to Prince George's County yesterday, the latest in a series of high-profile figures from both political parties arriving in Maryland to boost candidates for governor and U.S. senator.

"We need people who will stand up and will fight with us to get us back on the right track," Clinton (D-N.Y.) told a crowd of about 300 supporters.

Clinton's campaign rally and fundraiser for gubernatorial challenger Martin O'Malley and U.S. Senate hopeful Benjamin L. Cardin underscores what analysts say is the significance the national parties have attached to the Maryland races, particularly an open Senate seat that could help determine who controls that body.

In recent months, President and Laura Bush, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani have visited on behalf of Maryland's Republican Senate candidate, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who is running for reelection.

Democrats have welcomed Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and Russell Feingold (Wis.). Gov. Bill Richardson (N.M.) will be in Montgomery County today, and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) will hold an event for Cardin and O'Malley tomorrow in Prince George's. Next month, former president Bill Clinton, former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner and his successor, Timothy M. Kaine, will visit the state, as will D.C. mayoral nominee Adrian M. Fenty.

The visits play an important role in galvanizing the party faithful and raising money for campaigns, especially for the Democrats who lead in polls but lag behind in fundraising. They also signal how competitive the races are. "These people are coming to Maryland because each party senses an opportunity," said University of Maryland Professor Paul S. Herrnson.

The visits are carefully choreographed to maximize their potential benefit to the candidates. For instance, Steele's campaign heavily promoted the McCain and Giuliani visits, Herrnson suspects, "because they are viewed as moderate and independent Republicans, which is how he'd like to be viewed."

Democrats planned the Obama and Clinton events in predominantly black Prince George's in all likelihood to help Cardin and O'Malley energize black voters. O'Malley's news conference with Richardson today will be in Silver Spring at CASA of Maryland, where he will aim to bring out more Latino voters.

In most cases, the dignitaries are expected to draw crowds of donors. The Clinton event raised $75,000 to $100,000 for the state party.

"You get a big name in town, the faithful are going to show up with their checkbooks," said Donald Norris, a professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

A Baltimore Sun poll released this week showed O'Malley leading Ehrlich 50 to 44 percent among likely voters and Cardin leading Steele 51 to 40 percent. The latest campaign finance reports show the Republicans with at least twice as much cash on hand as the Democrats.

Many of the well-known political figures who will pass through Maryland this year, including Sen. Clinton, are contemplating presidential bids in 2008. University of Virginia Professor Larry J. Sabato said they come in hopes of being helped in turn down the road.

They also come to gain exposure with potential donors, a disproportionate number of whom live in the Washington area. In the 2004 presidential race, candidates raised $24.5 million in the D.C. region, second only to New York in giving.

"They're strutting their stuff for the donors," Sabato said. "It's a little like a meat market, and if they go over well, it could be worth thousands to them."

Staff writer David Nakamura and staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.