Obama Tells Md. Voters, 'We Need Something New'

Johnson said he's tried to convince other county residents that a $1,000 contribution to the campaign represents an investment in raising the county's political agenda to the national stage.

"It's one of those things you're not sure if you'll ever see again in your life," he said.

But all acknowledge that Clinton has a strong base in Prince George's. Del. Carolyn J.B. Howard (D), one of several county delegates and senators who have endorsed Clinton, said she's been a supporter since serving as a convention delegate years ago when Bill Clinton was running for president.

Now her task, she said, is to convince fellow black residents that they should not feel "obligated" to support Obama because of his race. Although Obama might represent the party's future, Howard said she tells them, Clinton is the only candidate with the experience to get elected now.

"We can't make an emotional decision for something as important as the presidency of the United States," she said.

Obama's poll numbers among black voters have been far lower than those seen for Jesse Jackson a generation ago, said University of Maryland political scientist Ronald Walters. An event in Prince George's is a natural way for the senator to introduce himself to many African Americans who still view him as something of an unknown quantity, Walters said.

"I don't think he has to be a Jesse Jackson," he said. "But he has to have a credible showing, and to do that, he has to touch obvious bases."

Maryland Democrats will not vote until Feb. 12, by which time many experts believe the party will have selected its nominee. But Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) and Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D), both rally organizers, said yesterday's event was about more than raising money and enthusiasm. Instead, they maintained, it was part of a strategy to look beyond early contests in Iowa and New Hampshire. If Obama and Clinton split wins from early states, they said, Maryland could be in play.

Area politicians lining up to support Obama include Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey, numerous state delegates and senators and former county executive candidate Rushern L. Baker III.

Clinton's Maryland supporters include Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown, a Prince George's resident.