Three Leaders' Chosen Ones

The stakes could be high for Kaine, said Larry Sabato, a political science professor at the University of Virginia.

"He got out there early and has been a very prominent supporter, so it would be a major embarrassment for him if Obama did not carry Virginia," Sabato said. "On the flip side, it is a real feather in his cap politically if Obama can pull this off."

Kaine, who helped the Democrats retake control of the Virginia Senate this year, held a conference call with Obama volunteers across the state over the weekend to give them a pep talk. He has also helped Obama win other endorsements.

In the District, Fenty announced his support for Obama in July during an appearance at a community center. The two showed up dressed alike in navy suits with light blue ties, a symbolic match for politicians who are among a younger generation of leaders.

Fenty said he endorsed Obama in part because he agreed to push for full congressional representation for the District. But Fenty also identifies with Obama's position as an African American leader seeking to move beyond the racial politics of past generations.

"He won't just bring new ideas, but he is also the most likely to bring new people into the process," Fenty said last week. The admiration appears mutual. Obama called to congratulate Fenty after he won the Democratic mayoral primary in 2006.

Fenty, who like Obama has a white mother and a black father, was quickly grouped with other young "post-racial" politicians, including Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D). On Tuesday, Fenty spent the day with Booker in Newark stumping for Obama. Fenty also campaigned in New Hampshire for him.

And today, Fenty will formally open a storefront Obama campaign office in Southeast Washington.

In a city with no full voting member of Congress, there is no natural political future for a young mayor with unbounded ambition. Some watchers of D.C. politics have suggested that Fenty could win a high-profile job in an Obama administration, though others believe Fenty would be content being mayor for two or more terms.

As Clinton aides have downplayed their expectations for Maryland, O'Malley has been the least visible of the region's three leaders lately. But his aides insist that will change in the coming days. Since his endorsement in May, O'Malley has traveled out of the state for Clinton twice, both times to New Hampshire.

On the night of Super Tuesday, as O'Malley gathered with Clinton supporters at an Annapolis bar, he said that his commitment is strong and that he has left his schedule loose in the coming days to do anything Clinton's campaign asks of him. O'Malley is scheduled to appear in Annapolis today at a Clinton rally.

O'Malley said he was drawn to Clinton because of her leadership on homeland security and health care and for what he said would be her ability to restore the United States' stature in the world.