Wes Moore, who is vying for the Democratic nomination for Maryland governor, won a straw poll of Democratic activists in Western Maryland on Saturday.

       Retired judge Katie O’Malley was the top voter-getter against U.S. Rep. Anthony G. Brown in the unofficial vote for the Democrats’ choice for attorney general, and Del. Brooke E. Lierman topped Bowie Mayor Tim Adams for state comptroller.

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       The tally, which offers a first glimpse of which candidates the party activists would choose on Election Day, was taken Saturday at the Western Maryland Democratic Summit. The event draws Democratic leaders from Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties.

       In the governor matchup, former attorney general Douglas Gansler finished second in the field with 71 votes; former U.S. labor secretary Tom Perez took third with 48 votes; and former U.S. education secretary John B. King Jr. placed fourth with 45. Moore garnered 153 votes.

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       Democratic candidates spent two days in Flintstone giving speeches and networking with local party activists in an effort to distinguish themselves in the crowded, competitive primary. Democrats are trying to win the governor’s mansion after two straight losses to Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, who is term-limited.

       Moore’s win comes on the heels of key endorsements from Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) and U.S. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.).

       Among other top gubernatorial contenders, state Comptroller Peter Franchot received just 10 votes and former Prince George’s County executive Rushern L. Baker III, who did not attend the event, got two votes. He held a fundraiser on Friday night and made campaign stops in Baltimore and Montgomery County on Saturday.

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       Baker was a party establishment favorite when he ran for governor four years ago. He won the Western Democratic straw poll in 2018 by a wide margin but went on to lose the primary to Ben Jealous, a political newcomer.

       In the other races, O’Malley won 250 votes, while Brown, who did not attend the event but sent a video, received 74. Lierman received 219 votes to Adams’s 99.

       The Democratic candidates will face off on July 19 in the statewide primary to determine the party’s nominees.