Senate challenger Hector Torres touted an endorsement from City Councilman Bill Henry this morning, providing one establishment stamp of approval for the Senate hopeful.

Torres, a former fire department spokesman, wants to unseat veteran Senator Joan Carter Conway, who chairs the Education, Health and Environmental Affairs committee.

She’s known for her fiery presence in Annapolis and frequently takes the floor push back efforts to reduce funding for the city. But she ruffled feathers this year when she did not allow a bill permitting Marylanders to purchase wine via the Internet to leave her committee.

Torres says she’s too cozy with the state’s powerful alcoholic beverages lobby, which opposed the wine bill. She denies that charge, but he’s also trying to tie her to other special interests, showing on his website that her campaign donors have obtained state contracts.

"It is not about cozy," Conway said. "I tell people you can send me your money if you want, but it is not going to affect what I do."

The race is one of the few contested legislative contests in Baltimore this year and so far it has not attracted the attention as the Della v. Ferguson match up on the city's waterfront.

Henry’s councilmanic district overlaps part of the area Torres hopes to represent. In a statement, Henry said: "Hector Torres has a proven track record of dedicated public service in Baltimore City and I believe he is the candidate who will best represent the interests of the 43rd District in Annapolis," said Henry.

Conway said she was not suprised by the endorsement, and does not think it will not have much of an impact on the race. "It is a democracy, you have the right to endorse whoever you want," she said.

The rest of the councilman’s statement after the jump.