Md. Democrats" movement to raise minimum wage gains speed as election year looms With an election year looming, a growing number of Democrats are promising a renewed push next year to require Maryland employers to pay significantly more than the $7.25 an hour required by federal law. "Here in Maryland, we're a progressive state," Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) said Friday at event outside a Food Lion in Gaithersburg. We ought to take care of the people who work every day and make sure that they make enough money to actually be able to live and survive in our economy. Gansler, a candidate in 2014 Maryland governor's race, argued that raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour is "the morally correct thing to do and the economically sound thing to do." His two Democratic primary opponents had previously spoken out on the issue. Such pronouncements come just a few months after bills to raise the minimum wage went nowhere during the most recent 90-day legislative session in Annapolis, in part because of staunch resistance from retailers and other business owners. But supporters - including the state's labor unions - are hoping the dynamic will be different when lawmakers return in January, particularly if O'Malley puts his legislative muscle behind a proposal. Nineteen states and the District mandate a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour. While bills are pending in Congress to raise the federal minimum wage, most consider passage a long shot. On Friday, a bill that would require some major retailers in the District to pay their employees combined wages and benefits of no less than $12.50 hourly was sent to Gray. A senior O'Malley administration official said the governor is considering including a minimum-wage bill in a broader package of initiatives next session aimed at helping the middle class. O'Malley, who is weighing a 2016 presidential bid, has not settled on the specifics of a bill, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to more freely discuss the governor's plans. During remarks last week at the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, O'Malley ticked off several issues that he said are the modern-day "work for justice" launched by King. Among them: raising the minium wage "for every mom and dad that's willing to work hard and play by the rules." Not everyone who needs to be sold on the idea has been. Del. Dereck E. Davis (D-Prince George's) said he remains "very concerned that it could result in the elimination of jobs." "Yes, it will benefit some people, but at the expense of others," said Davis, chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee, which has jurisdiction over minimum-wage legislation in his chamber. We have to be cautious in our approach.