Welcome to The Rally. Every weekday morning from now until election day, TBD will tell you what you need to know about the Maryland governor’s race. The showdown between incumbent Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley and Republican former governor Bob Ehrlich has entered its final month, and TBD is prepared to dish about the race’s debates, polls, issues, endorsements and controversies from now until Nov. 2.

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DEADLINES, DEADLINES
Do you want to register to vote or change your party affiliation in Maryland? Today’s your last day to do so.

DEBATE POST-MORTEM
Trailing in the polls, Bob Ehrlich (R) needs something to help create some momentum. Yesterday’s debate — the first of the campaign — wasn’t it. Ehrlich didn’t nail Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) down on any negative points, and O’Malley was gaffe-free.

A quick summary: The candidates engaged in the usual sparring over education, taxes, business and the budget, and also found time to dredge up and re-argue controversies over crime and education from O'Malley's mayoral tenure. At the end, they traded blows over immigration and crime, two topics that have been slightly under the radar so far in the campaign.

Here are some takes from the media:

• The AP has a predictably straightforward look.

• The Baltimore Sun (which was all over this debate) points out the free-flowing format of the debate increased its intensity. The paper's editorial board mentions Ehrlich's missed opportunities, and columnist Jean Marbella wonders why the candidates decided to "re-litigate the past," especially after Ehrlich said he wanted to avoid doing just that. The paper also provides a transcript and some fact checking. Its TV critic, David Zurawik, gives a thumbs down to the way Ehrlich's clothing, makeup and body language played on television.

• Three Washington papers — the Post, the Examiner and the Times — all contributed their own rundowns, as did Politics Daily.

If you missed the debate, you can watch the entire thing on WJZ.com.

As for TBD, Philip Stewart filed this report for the TV side. The Facts Machine did some live fact-checking and posted the first of a few more in-depth checks that you'll see throughout the coming days.

And if you’re Ehrlich fan, your candidate will have another chance to produce a game-changer this week. Yesterday, his campaign agreed to a Thursday noon debate at the Post. The debate will be co-sponsored by WAMU and WUSA. The TV channel will broadcast the debate live, and rebroadcast it at 7 p.m. WAMU will broadcast the debate at 8 p.m. You can get tickets here.

The two campaigns originally discussed holding the debate at the University of Maryland, College Park, but that site was nixed by the Ehrlich campaign. The disagreement there isn't surprising, as Ehrlich and O'Malley have never seen eye-to-eye on debates. In fact, yesterday's debate almost didn't happen — the Ehrlich campaign objected to the appearance of several Democratic elected officials in the studio.

AND THEY MET AGAIN...

At 2 p.m., both Ehrlich and O'Malley were at the Marriott Hotel near the Baltimore Washington International Airport for a discussion. sponsored by the Maryland Disabilities Forum. Under the rules of the event, the two candidates weren't allowed to directly engage one another, and both candidates were able to keep their cool. The entire event possessed a somewhat somber feel compared to raucous morning debate.

As the Sun's Julie Scharper writes, the two candidates kept their focus on disability concerns, but still managed to sneak in parts of their larger campaign pitches.

IN THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES, TBD WILL KEEP WRITING

Sitting through two-and-a-half hours of gubernatorial discourse yesterday, TBD noticed something: In his public remarks, O'Malley reminds voters of how tough times are, and he does so early and often. By our count, he used variants of "the toughest of times," "in these hard times," or said that Ehrlich had governed in "easier times" about a dozen times between the two appearances.

This isn't new. O'Malley has been fond of the phrase "the toughest of times" since the campaign began, but still: Why would the incumbent want to remind voters that times are tough?

First, it cedes ground that Ehrlich could otherwise claim. If O'Malley wanted to argue that everything was fine and dandy, the Republican would destroy him.

Second, it makes everything O'Malley has done more impressive. After all, he accomplished it in "the toughest of times." Just imagine what he could do when the economy finally turns around! It has the simultaneous effect of diminishing anything Ehrlich accomplished.

QUICK HITS

• The combination of strong unions and a large black population makes Maryland a consistently difficult pick-up for the GOP. (Examiner)

• O'Malley will work with House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in an attempt to resurrect the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. (Gazette)

• Mary Kane, Ehrlich's running mate, talks to College Republicans at the University of Maryland. (The Diamondback)

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

• Your faithful gubernatorial campaign correspondent will be appearing on TBD NewsTalk with Bruce DePuyt at 10 a.m.

• Ehrlich is touring downtown Frederick at 12:30 p.m. Kane is touring Ellicott City at 2 p.m.

• At 5 p.m., first lady Katie O'Malley will be in Silver Spring to attend the premiere of the animated movie Megamind.