By John Fritze and Annie Linskey

State Sen. Robert Garagiola, a Montgomery County Democrat expected to run for Congress in the newly drawn 6th District, named nearly 20 state lawmakers on Monday who he said will back his effort when he jumps in.

The list of endorsements includes Del. Kumar Barve, a Montgomery County lawmaker and the state House Majority Leader, along with Sen. Ron Young, a longtime mayor of Frederick who unseated Alex Mooney last year.

Mooney, who chairs the state Republican Party, is also considered a possible candidate for the 6th District.

“I am appreciative of the early support of so many of my colleagues,” Garagiola said in a statement. “I have heard from many state and local elected leaders, as well as others, who have urged me to run for Congress.”

The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, but the district was redrawn during last week’s special session of the General Assembly – part of the once-a-decade redistricting process. Bartlett has said he will seek reelection.

The 6th is likely to be a competitive race and it is one of the few opportunities Democrats have nationally to add to their numbers. In part because of the redistricting process, candidates have a shortened time frame to get campaigns up and running. The primary will take place April 3.

It turns out that not everyone on Garagiola’s list of supporters is actually supporting his campaign. Del. Kevin Kelly, an Allegany County Democrat, said in an e-mail that he is not endorsing any candidate in the race. The mix up appears to have been a case of miscommunication. Kelly said he responded affirmatively to an e-mail from Garagiola soliciting support, but said he did not realize the e-mail was a request for endorsements.

A full list of names – minus Kelly’s – follows after the jump. All are Democrats: