O’Malley campaign courts Latinos

Erica Jacobson, The Examiner
Sep 27, 2006

SILVER SPRING, Md. – In halting Spanish he read from a page before him, Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley told a largely Latino crowd that he appreciated their work on Tuesday morning in Silver Spring.

“Thank you for all you do to make Maryland a stronger state,� interpreter Christy Swanson translated.

O’Malley, the Democrat who hopes to unseat Maryland Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich in November, visited a Latino community center with his running mate, Del. Anthony Brown, and Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. The leaders urged Latino residents gathered at Casa de Maryland to register to vote and to vote for candidates who will represent their concerns for better, affordable health care and more access to education.

Richardson told the audience O’Malley’s record showed his support for Latinos and other ethnic communities.

“He has created jobs, but what he has done best is bring people together. He is a healer,� Richardson said, switching back and forth from English to Spanish before cracking a joke. “When he becomes governor, he’ll become the second-best governor in America.�

The stump stop gave the O’Malley-Brown campaign a chance to showcase its connection to a voting bloc that one speaker said was 74,000 strong in the state. In addition to O’Malley reading prepared comments in Spanish, Patricia Brown also introduced her husband in that language.

“They really understand the challenges that face the Latino community,� Patricia Brown said, with Swanson translating her remarks into English.

O’Malley, the descendant of Irish immigrants, also sought common ground with religion before introducing a 10-point plan on how he and Brown want to move Maryland forward.

“Do not fear,� O’Malley said, “I am Catholic. I am used to a service that ends in less than 40 minutes.�

The plan introduced by O’Malley focused around making government work again with operable polling places on election days, fully funded public education as well as devoting money to public safety to the health of Chesapeake Bay and public safety at local and statewide levels.

But the initiative that garnered the most applause by far was O’Malley’s promise to make the buses run on time.

“It is up to us to lead again with the understanding that our diversity is our strength,� O’Malley said.

Examiner

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