ON FRIDAY, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama arguably made the first mistake of his political career. In an address at Bowie State University he endorsed the white Democrat Ben Cardin over the black Republican Michael Steele for Maryland’s contested Senate seat, saying, “I think it’s great that the Republican party has discovered black people.”

According to a recent Baltimore Sun poll, Cardin leads Steele 49 percent to 43 percent. Among black voters, who will make up roughly19 percent of expected turnout, Cardin leads 74 percent to 12 percent. If Steele is to win the race, he will need to make gains in this demographic group. Last Thursday, a group of black ministers endorsed Steele–and Obama was in Maryland the next day to try to undercut any growing support for Steele in the black community.