O'Malley solicits money for Obama fundraiser in Md. President Obama campaigns for Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley at Bowie State University in 2010. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) invited his supporters Friday to attend a June 12 fundraiser for President Obama in Baltimore. Given Maryland's status as a reliably blue state, it's unlikely the president will campaign much in Maryland before appearing on the November ballot against Mitt Romney, the presumed Republican nominee. But the Free State remains an attractive destination for money. "This is going to be a tough election," O'Malley says in an e-mail to his campaign supporters. The polls are getting tighter, and it's going to take a lot of work to win. But we know we have to win because under President Obama's leadership, we're moving forward, not back. The e-mail notes that "this will be one of your only chances to attend an event with the president this summer." O'Malley, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has emerged as surrogate for Obama's reelection on the talk show circuit. The governor is scheduled to appear Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" to talk about both the campaign and an issue on which he and Obama now share the same position: same-sex marriage. The June 12 event is scheduled at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Baltimore. Tickets start at $250 per person. O'Malley has a history of hosting fundraising events for the Democratic presidential nominee, even when he did not support the candidate in the primaries. In 2004, O'Malley welcomed Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to Baltimore despite his initial support for former Vermont governor Howard Dean (D) as the party's nominee. During the 2008 cycle, O'Malley was an early backer of Hillary Clinton but pivoted quickly to become a major Obama booster after the former New York senator ended her campaign.