By John Wagner and Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Supporters of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama staged dueling rallies in Maryland yesterday in advance of highly anticipated visits by the Democratic presidential hopefuls themselves.
In a burst of activity before Tuesday's primaries in Maryland, Virginia and the District, the Clinton campaign also unveiled its first TV ads in the region, and the Democratic candidates announced a spate of upcoming appearances by candidates and their surrogates. Republicans John McCain, the Arizona senator, and Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, also scheduled campaign stops in the region.
"We have a lot of work to do, and we have to do it in a short period of time," Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) told a crowd of about 200 at a Clinton rally outside the State House in Annapolis that included Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, and brother, Hugh Rodham.
Other speakers at the Women's Rally for Our Next President included Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) and former lieutenant governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D).
About two dozen Obama boosters, meanwhile, gathered at an American Legion post in Silver Spring, where Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) and other Veterans for Obama argued that the freshman senator from Illinois offered better solutions to the Iraq war and treatment of veterans than Clinton or McCain, the GOP front-runner.
Actor Kal Penn, known for his roles in "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" and the TV medical drama "House," also made a string of appearances for Obama yesterday, seeking to rally the youth vote in Maryland. Penn had stops scheduled at Towson and John Hopkins universities and the University of Maryland at College Park. He will appear today at George Mason University.
With the Clinton campaign playing down expectations in Maryland, the state has not received as much attention in recent days from the Democratic campaigns as Virginia has.
Mikulski told reporters yesterday that the Clinton camp remains optimistic about its prospects in Maryland and "is leaving no county uncontested." But she acknowledged that Prince George's County, one of the most affluent majority-African American jurisdictions in the country, presents a challenge in a campaign against Obama.
In Virginia, the Clinton campaign organized a conference call with reporters to criticize Obama for not agreeing to a televised debate Monday. Clinton will appear on the ABC 7/Politico Candidate Forum, giving her a half-hour of free airtime on the eve of the election.
"What is he scared of?" asked Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake).
"We have had 18 debates in multiple forums. We had one just last week, and we have agreed to two more debates, but the bottom line is we are not going to let the Clinton campaign dictate our schedule," said Kevin Griffis, an Obama spokesman.
Although Obama ads have been on the air for several days in Virginia and Maryland, the Clinton campaign launched two 30-second TV spots yesterday in both states.
One ad makes the case that the senator from New York is the candidate best suited to confront economic problems, including a spike in home foreclosures and stock market woes. The other touts her plans to jump-start the economy and create jobs.
Obama is airing four ads in the region. One ad features Caroline Kennedy saying that Obama inspires her in the way that people have told her that her father, President John F. Kennedy, inspired them. Other Obama ads include footage of the candidate calling for improved health-care, school and job opportunities.
Both Clinton and Obama have scheduled appearances in Maryland on Monday. Obama has rallies in College Park and Baltimore. Clinton has yet to announce a location.
And both have added appearances in Virginia tomorrow, after their appearances tonight at a Democratic Party dinner in Richmond. Obama plans to campaign in Alexandria and Virginia Beach. Clinton plans to campaign in Manassas and Roanoke.
Former president Bill Clinton is also scheduled to barnstorm Virginia today to try to boost his wife's campaign heading into Tuesday's primary. He will be in Chesapeake in the morning, then will travel to western Virginia for rallies in Abingdon and at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.
On the Republican side, Huckabee has an appearance scheduled today in College Park, and McCain announced a rally in Richmond on Monday.
Yesterday's rally in Annapolis featured a string of testimonials on Clinton's behalf.
Del. Ana Sol Guitierrez (D-Montgomery) delivered part of her remarks in Spanish. "Hillary stands for all of us, no matter who we are," she said. "She's been with us for years."
Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D), who spent 10 months in Iraq as an Army reservist, said he believed Clinton was best suited to lead the United States out of Iraq.
Supporters at the Obama rally in Silver Spring argued otherwise.
"We must end this war now," said Rushern L. Baker III, a former state delegate from Prince George's and a judge advocate general with the Army. "We need a president who gets that."
Other speakers argued that Clinton and McCain didn't get it. "He seems to embrace all of the activities, all of the politics, of George Bush," Acie Byrd, a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, said of McCain, a pilot who was captured by the North Vietnamese during the war.
Staff writers Nelson Hernandez and Lisa Rein contributed to this report.
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