O’Malley wins AFL-CIO endorsement for governor

Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006

ANNAPOLIS — The Metropolitan Washington Council of the AFL-CIO voted overwhelming Tuesday to endorse Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley over Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

The endorsement is considered a coup for the O’Malley campaign because the union will offer its endorsement only if two-thirds of the 70-member Committee On Political Education votes for a candidate.

Union endorsements are coveted by candidates in Democratic primaries — particularly those running statewide — and the AFL-CIO nod was considered a toss-up because O’Malley and Duncan both have strong records with the labor community.

Tuesday’s vote was a decisive win for O’Malley. More than 80 percent of the vote went to Baltimore mayor, which was immediately hailed by O’Malley as ‘‘yet another sign of the strength of the O’Malley-Brown campaign.”

‘‘It was something that four months ago people said was impossible,” O’Malley told The Gazette in an interview Tuesday.

He and his running mate, House Majority Whip Anthony G. Brown (D-Dist. 25) of Mitchellville, worked overtime to secure the endorsement, O’Malley said.

‘‘I hope the message that it sends is that the O’Malley-Brown campaign is on the side of working families,” O’Malley said.

The O’Malley campaign immediately painted the endorsement as another sign of its candidate’s lead over Duncan.

O’Malley leads Duncan by more than $3 million in fund-raising. There has also been a perception among Democratic insiders that the momentum is with O’Malley because the mayor got into the race first and selected a running mate first.

Tuesday’s endorsement also distracts from damaging headlines about the integrity of Baltimore’s crime statistics — an issue that Duncan and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R) have been using to their advantages.

The AFL-CIO is made up of five central labor councils that stretch from Western Maryland to the Eastern Short and represents nearly 300,000 members.

Meanwhile, Duncan was on the lower Eastern Shore on Tuesday afternoon talking about his crime plan. Duncan picked up the endorsement of Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman.

The union also endorsed U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Dist. 3) of Pikesville in the U.S. Senate race.

"Today, as expected, a group of political insiders – heavily weighted with Baltimore Regional unions – went with the insider's choice for Governor," Scott Arceneaux, Duncan's campaign manager said in a statement.