Is it pretty much a given that O'Malley will be the nominee?
Eh, I wouldnt say 'a given', but he is definitely the favorite. Mostly because he's so well known. Duncan has a solid record. He's great on education and he's done an awesome job of cleaning up Silver Spring. O'Malleys high name id and star power may doom Duncan.
Im still undecided in the primary. I like Duncan because he seems like he'd be less obsessed with slots and more obsessed with important issues like education, sky rocketking tution rates (up 40% since Ehrlich/Steele), and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. I like O'Malley because I think he'll run strong in the Baltimore Suburbs, which will be a key to beating Ehrlich.