Obama supporters plan Iowa parties

Like the rest of the nation, Marylanders rang in the New Year as the ball dropped in Times Square and 2008 began. For political enthusiasts, the great celebration marked the beginning of an exciting election year. The Iowa caucuses are nearly upon us, and citizens in the Hawkeye State will have an immense say in who the nominees are in the Democratic and Republican parties. Caucus watch parties are planned throughout Maryland tomorrow night, as state supporters of the various presidential candidates will gather in support of their candidate.

The campaign of Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois will have a full contingent of Maryland supporters gathered in front of television screens Thursday night. A series of caucus watch parties have been planned on the senator's state campaign website, MarylandforObama.us. The state group, Maryland for Obama, who runs the site, is headed by Rep. Elijah Cummings and Attorney General Doug Gansler. Watch parties are scheduled in Baltimore, Lutherville-Timonium, Chesapeake Beach, Easton, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Brandywine, and Frederick.

The senator's organizational work in the state has been unique in comparison to his rivals in both parties. Other state campaigns have largely been run online by individual bloggers who support various candidates like Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Mitt Romney, and Mike Huckabee. Marylanders will not cast their primary ballots until Feb. 12, a week after the mega 23-state "Super Duper Tuesday."

For this reason, candidates and campaign supporters have largely ignored the Old Line State, while focusing attention on early states like Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina. Obama's Maryland base, however, has been visual throughout the state, holding public gatherings like sign-waving events and organizational meetings. Michael Buckley, the Communications Director for Maryland for Obama, could not be reached for immediate comment.

Both the national and state Obama campaigns received a shot of adrenaline with the release of a poll conducted yesterday by the Iowa-based newspaper, the Des Moines Register. The survey gave Obama 32 percent support among the 800 likely caucus-goers who were polled. Clinton received 25 percent while Edwards garnered 24 percent. Both the Edwards and Clinton campaigns quickly dismissed the relevance of the poll, pointing to the fact that it included 40 percent self-identified independents among the 800 surveyed, roughly half the number of independents who caucused for the Democrats in 2004. The vast majority of recent Democratic polls in Iowa have pointed to a statistical tie between Obama, Edwards, and Clinton.