Invoking the spirit of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mayor Sheila Dixon threw her support behind presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama on Monday.
“I believe Barack Obama is the candidate of hope,” Dixon said as she stood in the headquarters of the Baltimore Urban League.
“He is the right person for the right job.”
Calling Obama, D-Ill., a kindred spirit concerned with the plight of the average American, Dixon said he is the leading candidate for change.
“Now is the time to stand up for the hopes and dreams, and I believe he will,” she said.
Dixon was joined by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings and state Comptroller Peter Franchot. Cummings, who previously endorsed Obama, said support for his presidential candidacy went beyond race.
“A lot of people have called this a black-and-white campaign, but this is a red, white and blue campaign.”
Dixon?s endorsement put her at odds with her longtime political ally, Gov. Martin O?Malley, who has campaigned vigorously for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. But when asked if her support for Obama signaled discord between herself and governor, the mayor was unequivocal.
“We have our mutual differences, but this is not a problem.”
Clinton has scored major victories in Nevada and New Hampshire, offsetting an early lead garnered by Obama after his triumph in the Iowa caucuses. Super Tuesday, when 24 states will vote Feb. 5, could decide the race, making Maryland?s Feb. 12 primary irrelevant.
However, Cummings expressed confidence Maryland?s vote won?t go ignored.
“I believe it will matter,” he said.
Dixon?s endorsement marks growing support for Obama?s candidacy amongthe region?s black leaders as the state?s primary approaches.
State Del. Curt Anderson said he and several other members of the city?s Annapolis delegation, including state Sen. Verna Jones and Del. Nathaniel Oaks, would be traveling to South Carolina on Thursday.
“Everyone is starting to get the feeling this is history in the making,” Anderson said.
“We all want to help make it happen.”
