NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous said he's hopeful the votes will be there to repeal capital punishment in Maryland in the next legislative session.
Jealous met with Gov. Martin O'Malley on Thursday for about 45 minutes in the Maryland State House in Annapolis to discuss the issue.
O'Malley, a Democrat who opposes capital punishment, pushed for repeal in 2009. However, full repeal stalled in the Senate, which opted to limit when capital cases could be sought instead of repealing the state's death penalty law.
Jealous said he feels the chances of Senate passage are the best they have ever been. The session begins in January.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
