With the presidential race shifting to Maryland, Democratic rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama are moving quickly to open offices, schedule rallies and air advertisements - even as Clinton aides have sought to play down her chances here.
Obama appears to be relying on a network of volunteers - and a growing number of elected officials - that the campaign said has been a year in the making. Clinton has many of the state's top elected leaders in her camp as well as the support of a number of powerful unions.
"There's already the energy," said Elizabeth Wilkins, director of Obama's Baltimore field office, which officially opened Tuesday on East Baltimore Street. "There's already the community activity. People were organizing on the grass-roots level, through e-mail and on Facebook."
Jason Waskey, state director of Maryland for Obama, was among the early faithful.
"We have a machine, it's a grass-roots machine," said Waskey, whose group began organizing in July. "Until a week ago, Maryland didn't factor into the political calculus for Obama, and yet, with no money, we have had thousands of supporters and are raising a ton of money."
Today, the Maryland network has organized small, scattered efforts into a structured campaign with 4,000 volunteers and seven field offices around the state, including two in Prince George's County. The national campaign has taken Maryland seriously, with ads that have been running for nearly a month in the Baltimore, Eastern Shore and Washington markets, including one aimed at young voters and another featuring Caroline Kennedy comparing the Illinois senator to her father.
Clinton, meanwhile, has considerable institutional support in the state, with the backing of Gov. Martin O'Malley, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski and several key unions. Campaign officials said the New York senator has opened two offices in Maryland - in Baltimore and Bethesda - and that a third, in Prince George's County, is on the way.
"Maryland has become very important," said Loretta Johnson, co-president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, which made calls throughout the state in Clinton's behalf. "They will be in here."
The political arm of the union's parent, the American Federation of Teachers, has been campaigning hard for Clinton across the country and began running radio advertisements in Baltimore and the Washington suburbs this week that focus on health care, home foreclosures and education.
But most analysts give Clinton long odds in Maryland. Obama has yet to lose a state with a significant African-American population, and a Sun poll last month found support among Maryland's influential bloc of black voters coalescing behind the Illinois senator.
National Clinton campaign officials said that while they will actively campaign here, much of their focus will be on the delegate-rich primaries scheduled next month in Ohio and Texas. In one statement, the campaign wrote that "the remaining February map will favor Obama."
"We are not writing off any state. I think we have a strong base of support in Maryland," said Clinton strategist Guy Cecil. "While we expect the next few days to be leaning toward Obama, we expect to be getting a good share of these delegates from each of these states."
With chants of the Obama mantra, "Yes, we can" and the Spanish equivalent, "Si, se puede," Maryland Democratic politicians held a rally for Obama yesterday at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in Annapolis, emphasizing the state's role in the tight primary race.
"This is the time for Maryland to stand up," bellowed Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, who was flanked by two dozen jubilant, sign-waving supporters. "This is a critical moment in the life of Maryland. This is a critical moment in the life of America. This is a critical moment in the life of the world. Barack Obama is here to lead us to a better life."
Obama called Cummings in January 2007, asking for help in the campaign. Cummings, a longtime Obama admirer, immediately went to work galvanizing his Maryland colleagues. But it wasn't easy.
"They thought there was absolutely no way that he could even compete," the Baltimore Democrat said. "They laughed at me like it was a joke."
Clinton's campaign was relatively quiet yesterday - volunteers at several unions were calling members to drum up support - but campaign officials vowed that the schedule here will heat up quickly, with a visit by the senator expected in the coming days.
Neither campaign has released details of any Maryland stops. But officials said Obama and Clinton will spend time in Maryland by Tuesday.
Clinton's volunteers plan to campaign at Metro stops, and officials said coming events will target many of Clinton's core demographic groups, such as women and Hispanics. Clinton is expected to campaign in Northern Virginia today.
O'Malley and the Clintons have long been allies, with former President Bill Clinton and O'Malley forging a relationship when he was mayor of Baltimore.
O'Malley said yesterday that he will be marshaling his political network to make sure Clinton wins.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to help her," said O'Malley, wearing a red, white and blue Hillary 2008 pin on his suit lapel. "The Clinton campaign will go from zero to 60 this week, and you will see a whole flurry of activity."
On Tuesday night, a lone Clinton yard sign was posted outside Clinton's Baltimore offices - in the union hall of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees on Bush Street. Inside, about a dozen volunteers worked phones for Clinton.
Glenard S. Middleton Sr., a statewide leader of the union, said AFSCME will continue making calls in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County, and will start knocking on doors this weekend.
"We want to take back the White House. We want a Democrat in the seat," Middleton said. "And we have two outstanding candidates."
kelly.brewington@baltsun.com john.fritze@baltsun.com
Sun reporter Laura Smitherman contributed to this article.