The Agenda: An election preview (not of 2010)

Let's get a little ahead of ourselves.

This weekend, those addressing an annual statewide convention of the Young Democrats of Maryland will include: Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D), Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D).

It's starting to look a lot like 2014.

True, we've got to get the 2010 elections out of the way first. But between now and September 2014 -- when Maryland holds its first post-O'Malley Democratic primary for governor -- these guys are certain to see a good deal of one another. No doubt others will be in the mix as well, including perhaps Howard County Executive Ken Ulman (D) and former Prince County Executive Wayne K. Curry (D).

In the meantime, it will be hard not to view most everything the 2014 hopefuls do through a political lens, as they jockey for attention and standing. Gansler, Brown and Franchot should all be visible in the remainder of the 90-day legislative session.

Any day now, Gansler is expected to issue an opinion on whether Maryland can recognize same-sex marriages from other states. This will be a legal opinion, of course, but the political ramifications are hard to overstate. Gansler is already on record as the first statewide official in Maryland to support gay marriage.

Gansler is also pushing a bill this session to do away with contested elections of circuit court judges. He has landed former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for an upcoming panel discussion on the subject, which is certain to raise the profile of the issue -- and of Gansler.

Meanwhile, Brown, a former delegate, could be found testifying in the Senate Tuesday on a bill backed by his boss, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), that aims to increase the state's recovery in Medicaid fraud cases. It's not the sexiest issue, but passage of the bill would bolster Brown's reputation for accomplishing heavy legislative lifts. A similar bill was defeated last year after intense lobbying by doctors and hospitals. Among the successful legislation in Brown's portfolio last session: a pair of bills to aid domestic violence victims that had previously been defeated by a House Judiciary Committee with a reputation of being friendly to defense lawyers.

And let's not forget Franchot, who is easy to underestimate politically. He is scheduled to appear Wednesday morning at a rally for a bill that would require all Maryland students to take a course in financial literacy before graduation. To this point, the bill has not been terribly high on the Annapolis agenda. But to promote it, Franchot has been touring high schools around the state -- out where real voters reside.

-- John Wagner