Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley recently picked up an early endorsement for his 2010 reelection campaign from the Maryland League of Conservation Voters. The group cited his record on climate change, the Chesapeake Bay and other environmental issues.

Cindy Schwartz , the organization’s director Cindy Schwartz told the Baltimore Sun, “It seemed clear to us that no one was going to run with a better environmental record.”

With the November election still many months away, it’s early in the political season, and it will be interesting to see how all the candidates tackle the issue of the Chesapeake Bay’s health.

Billions have been spent on the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay over the course of 26 years, and the bay doesn’t appear to be any cleaner today than it was when the clean-up started.

Now with state budgets reeling from the recession, some people have argued that more attention and money should be placed on job creation and strengthening the economy than on the Chesapeake Bay. Under pressure from environmentalists and the federal government, the bay watershed states are making an effort accelerate the process of reaching the Chesapeake Bay’s restoration goals by 2020.

Yet environmentalists have argued that stricter laws and regulation are needed to improve the Bay’s health.

Is there a candidate out there who would create such laws?

What do you think? Will O’Malley’s environmental record be enough to re-elect him this year? Is the Chesapeake Bay too high on his agenda?