John Kerry

Check back tomorrow morning to view my sketchpad for day three of the Democratic National Convention, and go to my national blog to follow convention coverage by cartoonists from around the country.

The third day of the Democratic National Convention will be called to order at 5:00 PM EST on Wednesday, with a theme of "Securing America's Future."

The day will begin with the nominating process for President, including nominating speeches for U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.), followed by a roll call vote.

The headline speaker will be vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.).

Featured speakers will include President Bill Clinton (D), U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.), U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).

The full schedule is below.

DENVER – U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) made a brief stop at a reception held by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings Sunday evening at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, home to the Maryland delegation, as well as Kerry's Bay State delegation.

Kerry called the Maryland delegation his “second favorite delegation.”

“The good news is there are only 149 more days until George Bush leaves office,” he told the crowd.

Kerry poked fun at U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Mechanicsville), noting that he does a great job corralling “those misfits over in the House.”

RELATED: John Kerry and John McCain: That was then, this is now and Gilchrest against endorsing McCain after endorsing him.

As Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign winds down, the prospects of a cabinet post relaunching the political career of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend look less and less likely.

So where else could she re-emerge on the political scene? One major newspaper suggests it's in the U.S. Senate.

Check out the winner and runner-ups for this week's Cartoon Caption Contest.

Care to come up with a caption for this cartoon? Click more for the rules and prizes!

Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele at Sen. John McCain's speech this morning in Annapolis
ANNAPOLIS- Speaking today before a sparse crowd of media, staff, and supporters, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recounted his days as a young student at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Acknowledging that his “four years at the Naval Academy were not notable for exemplary virtue or academic achievement but, rather, for the impressive catalogue of demerits I managed to accumulate,” McCain said Annapolis “holds a special place in my life.”

The state capital was where the senator’s military career began more than five decades ago; he graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958.

Michael CryorGOP Uncertain Of Turnout

With no clear frontrunner after a month of voting and four contested elections, Maryland Democrats believe their primary will not only be relevant to the party’s eventual nominee, but set new records for turnout.

Yesterday, State Chair Michael Cryor predicted “one million Maryland Democrats will go to the polls on February 12th.”

Maryland has held presidential primaries since the Progressive era in 1912. The largest turnout for a state Democratic primary was in 1976, with 592,000 ballots cast in California Gov. Jerry Brown’s stunning victory over Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter.

Gov. Howard Dean & Rep. Elijah Cummings in 2003Holding his second event for Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in as many weeks, Rep. Elijah Cummings is heavily investing himself in the 2008 presidential race for the Democratic nomination.

But Cummings’ endorsement in 2004 was much weightier – and spread out.