With the countdown for the 2010 mid-term elections now under two weeks, Maryland’s gubernatorial candidates have brought in the big guns to try and stir voters ahead of one of the most anticipated mid-terms in recent history.
Democratic governor Martin O’Malley called in two of the Democrat’s biggest stars to speak at a rally Thursday, former President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Joe Biden.
Clinton spoke at a rally of over 1000 people at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore, and addressing the younger members of the audience said: "You got a governor here who froze tuition for four years so you wouldn't have to drop out of college. How can you stay home?"
In a state where registered Democrats outnumber their Republican counterparts 2-to-1, ensuring that the voters actually get to the polls is crucial in this tight race for Maryland’s governor.
O’Malley’s principal rival in the race is former governor and Republican Robert Ehrlich and the two sparred off at a morning debate yesterday over the controversial healthcare reforms initiated by the Obama administration.
O’Malley says that Obama has been “courageous” in tackling healthcare head on, and recounted that Maryland under his guidance has also taken steps to extend healthcare subsidization for nearly 200,000 residents. Ehrlich, says O’Malley "did absolutely nothing to advance the cause,” while he was in office.
After the morning debate, O’Malley received a welcome fundraising booster from Biden, who had flown in to head a lunch-time event for the Democratic candidate.
