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ANNAPOLIS — Progressive Maryland has a dilemma.

The liberal advocacy group's education fund named both Sen. Mike G. Lenett and Del. Roger Manno as "Heroes of Working Families" this year for each scoring 97 in its annual rating of state legislators.

In fact, their scores throughout the four-year term — the first for each man — are almost identical: an average of 97 for Manno and 95 for Lenett.

But Progressive Maryland's board of directors can hand out only one endorsement , if any, in the District 19 Democratic Senate primary, as well as in other districts with two highly rated incumbents going head to head.

"It's a really difficult process," said Rion Dennis, the organization's interim executive director. "I've had some difficult conversations with people who have gone to bat on our issues, and for it to not be a no-brainer to go with them [has been tough]."

So far, his board has issued a batch of 45 early endorsements to General Assembly candidates and will announce a final round Thursday.

A candidate needs two-thirds of the Progressive Maryland board's support to be endorsed. In some closely contested primary races, it is probable that no one will reach that threshold, Dennis said.

Other groups are in a similar bind, having to pick sides between two strong supporters.

Manno (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring received his fourth consecutive perfect score from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. Lenett (D-Dist. 19) of Silver Spring is not far behind, registering a four-year average of 93 percent. The scores are based on a separate set of votes taken in each chamber, so it is not an apples-to-apples comparison, Lenett said.

Even so, there is a lot more that goes into the endorsement process than just a legislator's voting record, said Cindy Schwartz, the league's executive director. Lawmakers' relationships with the environmental community, their leadership roles, their committee assignments and their willingness to carry key legislation all factor into the decision.

"Our process is pretty rigorous," she said.

As a result, the organization evaluates all candidates and strives to issue endorsements in each contested Democratic and Republican primary.

"The voters have to make a choice and we should, too," Schwartz said.

But James M. Purtilo, who heads Marylanders for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, does not see the value in picking sides in a race between two pro-gun allies. He cited the District 2 Senate GOP primary between Sen. Donald F. Munson and House Minority Whip Christopher B. Shank as an example of where he does not plan to endorse either candidate.

"I could spend resources on that race," said Purtilo, who also is editor and publisher of Tripwire, a Maryland-based gun rights newsletter. "But at the end of the day, why? I'm going to get a pro-gun vote.

"The PAC is not going to spend in that district, because we're not going to change the number of pro-gun delegates and senators in the legislature as a result."

Plus, he does not want to damage his group's positive relationship with either man. Purtilo is disappointed that only one of the two men — if the GOP nominee wins in November — will continue to serve in the General Assembly.

"It breaks my heart that we have two good guys going after each other when we should be putting resources into increasing the number of pro-gun delegates and senators," he said.

A 12-member advisory board assists Purtilo in making endorsements, which he hopes to publish by early August. He said he did not know whether the PAC will take sides in other GOP primaries, including in the District 7 Senate race that pits Del. J.B. Jennings against former Del. Alfred W. Redmer Jr. or the District 33 Senate contest between Sen. Edward R. Reilly and Del. James J. King.

"From a purely pragmatic point of view, we save our advocacy, our resources and our passion for places where we can make a difference between good guys and bad guys."

Incumbents tend to get an extra boost from both Progressive Maryland and the League of Conservation Voters.

"Generally, we go with incumbents who score highly on our scorecards, even if the challenger does score high," Dennis said. "If incumbent [senators] see we are jumping ship to any challenger from the House, then they have no reason to vote our way."

"We feel like we need to dance with the ones that brought us," Schwartz said. "If we lobby for strong environmental policy, and somebody sticks their neck out for us, we feel really strongly that we have to stay with them, so we favor incumbents."

Lenett favors that rationale.

"I think it makes perfect sense to support an incumbent with a good record," he said. "Otherwise, it will cause legislators to think twice about going out on a limb for a particular group."

Progressive Maryland has yet to endorse either District 19 Democratic candidate. The League of Conservation Voters already has pledged its support to Lenett.

At least one group has come under criticism for not following the usual script.

NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland backed Manno over Lenett, former Del. Cheryl C. Kagan over incumbent Sen. Jennie M. Forehand and Republican District 17 delegate candidate Dan Campos.

House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Dist. 17) of Gaithersburg took exception with those picks and the omission of endorsements for his district-mates, Dels. Luiz R.S. Simmons and James W. Gilchrist, who have both logged perfect pro-choice voting records.

"I think it's important to recognize incumbents who are pro-choice and deserve to be endorsed," said Barve, a member of Maryland NARAL's board of directors from 1989 to 1990 and a member of its political action committee from 1986 to 1990. "When two Democrats like Lu Simmons and Jim Gilchrist do not get credit for what they do, then that's a problem for me."

Gilchrist acknowledged he did not return the group's questionnaire, making him ineligible for consideration. NARAL's endorsement process is ongoing, and more will be handed out after the July 6 filing deadline, said Maddy Greenwald, a member of NARAL's PAC.

The group's support of Kagan, who used to work for NARAL Pro-Choice America, over Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville reflects the PAC's "conscious decision" to support "pro-choice leaders" in the legislature, Greenwald said.

Both have strong pro-choice voting records, but Kagan stands out as someone who has been and will be a leader, Greenwald said. Her former job with NARAL was "not the main thing we looked at," she added.

NARAL's decision to stand behind some challengers was bold, Manno said.

"I think the greatest challenge for any institutional group is to have the same political courage that they ask us to have when the chips are down," he said.

In the Senate races pitting two Democrat incumbents against each other, the Service Employees International Union, which represents more than 45,000 workers in Maryland and Washington, D.C., is endorsing both incumbents — Lenett and Sen. Nancy J. King — and challengers — Kagan and Dels. Karen S. Montgomery, Joanne C. Benson and Victor R. Ramirez.

Still, most candidates get their share of endorsements, and there is more to securing votes than just boasting a list of organizations that have pledged their support.

"I think endorsements are one cue among many for constituents to help them in determining which candidate they would like to support," Lenett said.

A better measurement of a candidate, Manno said, is evaluating what they do between roll calls, in committee rooms, in leadership meetings and in conversations with colleagues and constituents.

"More than 90 percent of who a legislator is is the stuff that happens between votes — the water that you carry, the bullets that you take and the role that you play behind closed doors to advance the cause or the issue," said the first-term delegate, who also has secured endorsements from numerous labor groups.

Regardless of whether he gets Progressive Maryland's endorsement, Manno said he will not have trouble defending his record in support of working families.

Scorecards, which are based on different votes cast in the House and Senate, do not reflect the real differences between two candidates.

"It doesn't tell you who these guys are," Manno said. "That stuff requires a much more objective, detailed evaluation of records."

Staff writer Sean R. Sedam contributed to this report.