So where was the O'Malley machine? Where were loyalists that Mikulski could mobilize? It's a question that some top Clinton advisers are privately asking. They're peeved that Maryland didn't produce.
There's really no such thing as a big city political machine these days, said Herbert C. Smith, a political science professor at McDaniel College in Westminster who has managed and advised campaigns in Baltimore. They went out with the decline of the patronage system, he said.
"Voters are not robots," Smith said. "It presumes this model that Martin O'Malley or any governor can marshal up hundreds of thousands of votes at his command. It's simply not the model of American politics."
O'Malley's political success has come more from good timing, an engaging personality and an ability to raise money than from the backing of large armies of volunteers.
Mikulski is four years removed from her last election, and doesn't face another contest until 2010. So her political machine is at its ebb.
A champion of women senators, Mikulski's endorsement of Clinton comes in part from wanting to help a member of that small club.
During his gubernatorial run, O'Malley got help from former President Bill Clinton, who made appearances in the state. Some political insiders wonder whether O'Malley's support for Hillary Clinton stemmed more from a sense of loyalty and obligation than a true passion for her candidacy.
One of O'Malley's best moments came last June, when he helped Clinton raise nearly a half-million dollars at a Baltimore County fund-raiser. Tickets to the event weren't selling well, but O'Malley hit the phones, salvaging the evening and saving the campaign embarassment.
During the week leading up to the Maryland primary, O'Malley and Mikulski appeared at numerous rallies and surrogate debates. O'Malley, Mikulski and Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown each lent two workers to the Clinton campaign for the week, and the three leaders cleared their political schedules for Clinton events.
Still, many Maryland political veterans say that O'Malley, in particular, seemed quiet. Perhaps it was his low approval ratings after a tax-raising special session of the General Assembly - 37 percent in a Gonzales Research poll released last week - that threatened to hinder Clinton more than help her.
