Cardin enlists help of Obama

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Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has called on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to woo black voters in his Senate run against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, a black Republican making inroads in Maryland minority communities that typically vote Democrat.

"I think he will be helpful for energizing my campaign," Mr. Cardin said of plans to campaign tomorrow with the Illinois Democrat, the country's only black senator. "I think he will attract all voters of Maryland."

Mr. Cardin, 62, a white 10-term congressman from Baltimore, yesterday did not acknowledge racial considerations in teaming with Mr. Obama against Mr. Steele, 47, the first black elected statewide in Maryland.

"I think [Mr. Obama's visit] just points out the importance of this election," Mr. Cardin told reporters during a campaign stop at Morgan State University, a historically black college in Baltimore.

"This is an election that no one is taking for granted," he said. "We're certainly working very hard at it."

Mr. Steele's potential to break the Democratic lock on black voters has made the Senate race one of the country's most closely watched and one of the most fiercely fought between the national parties.

Mr. Obama yesterday also discounted Mr. Steele's appeal among black voters.

"He may get some African-American votes, but it won't be substantial," Mr. Obama said. "I think the African-American community is not just going to look at someone's skin color, but what their agenda is, and Cardin has a longer track record of working on behalf of the African-American community in Maryland, much longer than Mr. Steele does."

Steele campaign spokesman Doug Heye said the event with Mr. Obama shows Mr. Cardin scrambling to connect with black voters. He cited Mr. Cardin's narrow win in the Democratic primary over former NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume, 43.8 percent to 40.4 percent, despite outspending him by about $3 million on TV ads.

"Michael Steele has reached out to African-American voters at an unprecedented level," Mr. Heye said. "The Cardin campaign has good reason to be scared of losing those voters. ... It is a clear sign that [the Cardin] camp is scared to death."