ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 7, 2007)—Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton (D-Charles) today endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president at a rally in Annapolis.
"I believe he has the ability to bring this country back together and work across party lines," Sen. Middleton told us. "I compare him to Seabiscuit. He came from behind out of nowhere. He holds out a whole lot of hope."
Senator Roy P. Dyson (D), Middleton's counterpart in District 29, told us that he won't be endorsing either Clinton or Obama for the primary. "I am going to tell people to vote for Joe Biden's delegates," said Dyson. "He's my man. He even campaigned for me once."
Maryland's leading elected Democratic officials have been largely split in their endorsements of this year's presidential contenders. Md. Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.-7) have joined Obama's Maryland team as co-chairmen. Comptroller Peter Franchot (D) is also supporting Obama.
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) signed on as National Chair of the Hillary for President campaign last April. Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown is National Co-Chair of Veterans for Hillary. Brown went to Harvard Law School with Obama. Governor Martin O'Malley (D) and former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D), daughter of Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy, have also endorsed Clinton.
Susan Sullam, communications director for U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), told us today that Cardin will be a super delegate at the Democratic convention and has no plans to endorse at this time.
Every member of Congress, representatives and senators, and every state governor is a super delegate. Super delegates are under no legal obligation to vote for any specific candidate within their party—thus making it technically possible for the party delegates to elect their party's candidate in opposition to the will of the popular vote by the U.S. citizenry.
Stephanie Lundberg, Maryland press secretary for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.-5), told us today that Hoyer has no plans at this time to make an endorsement in the Democratic primary.
The primary election is next Tuesday in Maryland. Obama and Clinton are virtually tied in the race with Obama holding 838 delegates and Clinton with 834. 2,025 delegates are needed to win. The popular vote determines how many delegates are pledged to the various candidates.