Obama to visit Baltimore June 12

President Obama will make what could turn out to be his only Maryland campaign stop June 12 when he visits Baltimore for a fund-raising event, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday night.

Obama is expected to attend a fund-raiser at a private home and a reception at a local hotel, a source familiar with the plans said.

O'Malley announced the plan at the Maryland Democratic Party's annual gala dinner in Greenbelt, an event attended by many of the state's most prominent elected officials. He urged the Democrats in attendance to show up in force -- presumably with checkbooks in hand.

The president is not expected to spend much time in Maryland because it is one of the most reliably blue states in the union. O'Malley predicted that Maryland Democrats would play an important role in the Obama campaigns in Pennsylvania and Virginia -- two pivotal states for the president's re-election process.

On a night dominated with passionate but largely predictable political rhetoric, O'Malley tried out a call-response refrain to rouse the party faithful. "Forward, not back" was the chant take up by hundreds of Democrats in the room. Might that be something we'll hear again at the Democratic National Convention?