Maryland voters -- and Kennedy watchers in Washington and beyond -- will soon get a chance to see what Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is all about. For the past seven years, Townsend, the eldest child of Robert F. Kennedy, has led a charmed political life: instant name recognition, unquestioned acceptance in high Democratic political circles and a no-fault job as lieutenant governor in a heavily Democratic state where her party controls the legislature and where her chief enabler, defender and promoter has been the Democratic governor, Parris Glendening. In truth, Townsend hasn't had to do much heavy lifting to get where she is today.
 
 But now she's stepping out on her own. Townsend wants to be the top dog down in Annapolis, the place where the buck stops in Maryland. First, however, KKT will have to carry her own water.
 
 She's going to get a chance in the next few weeks. Before the July 1 filing deadline for governor, Townsend must choose a running mate. That decision will give Marylanders added insight into Townsend's thinking and political judgment. But for now, the selection of a running mate is on the back burner.
 
 Townsend, who hails from the Baltimore area, where she and her family have lived since 1984, is concentrating on getting out her message to Maryland voters. She's spending the next 10 days visiting 22 of Maryland's 24 counties.
 
 "This isn't the time to develop a list" of candidates, she said in a phone interview from the road on Thursday, noting that Glendening didn't tap her for the job until near the filing deadline. Townsend, however, did outline what she called "principles" that would guide her decision. She said she'll select a candidate for lieutenant governor who could take over the reins as governor if necessary, who shares her values and views on the issues and is a team player. Teamwork ranks high with her. "I've been good at that," she said.
 
 A number of people at this end of the state don't think her decision should be all that hard. They contend that the Democratic ticket, as well as a Townsend administration and Townsend's own assets, would be complemented by having a seasoned and well-respected figure from the Washington suburbs as a teammate in Annapolis. They claim vote-rich Democratic Montgomery County has just the person she needs.
 
 Where else in Maryland, they ask, can Townsend find a prominent moderate Democrat who has served four terms in the legislature of the state's most populous county, including three terms as its president?
 
 What other Maryland democratic leader is also a former Army officer and Bronze Star medalist with first and second oak leaf clusters for service in Vietnam, a former White House fellow, holder of four degrees, a Howard University law professor and a public servant with a successful, balanced legislative record and a solid reputation as party leader and consensus builder?
 
 Of course, they're touting Isiah Leggett, 56, the first African American to be elected to the Montgomery County Council and second vice chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party.
 
 But to hear the smart set in Maryland, Ike Leggett doesn't come without question marks. They like his credentials but wonder how a Leggett candidacy would play beyond largely white Montgomery County -- for example, in the black precincts of West Baltimore (translation: Is he black enough?). And then there's the image of a black man paired with a white woman who's seeking the state's No. 1 job. That thought alone causes some of them to start studying their shoelaces.
 
 Which helps explain the rumor that Maryland House of Delegates Speaker Casper Taylor has been added to Townsend's short list for lieutenant governor.
 
 A virtual unknown in the Washington and Baltimore suburbs, 67 year-old Cas Taylor is an Annapolis insider. Twenty-five years in the state legislature won him that title. Taylor, a former tavern owner, has also been speaker since 1994.
 
 The Allegany County native, who is both antiabortion and anti gun control, would seem to be a strange choice for the forward looking Townsend. But folks talking up Taylor say he would have strong crossover appeal to conservative and white male voters who aren't likely to look her way in November. They note that white Maryland voters turned to George W. Bush by a 51 to 45 percent margin in 2000. So someone in Taylor's conservative mold might help Townsend, not only in the campaign but with the General Assembly as well.
 
 Hold on, though.
 
 Gore ended up winning in Maryland by a double-digit margin -- thanks to a heavy African American turnout that went 90 percent to the then-vice president.
 
 At the end of the day, Townsend's going to pluck a running mate who meets her test of loyalty, competence and shared values. And she should. Whether Leggett fits the bill is entirely her call.
 
 But she can't avoid weighing the idea of a black running mate who possesses those qualities. To do otherwise runs the risk of sending a message that she takes African American voters in Maryland for granted -- the key voting bloc that not only bailed out Gore but also provided the margin of victory for Glendening and Townsend in 1994 when they squeaked past the Republican ticket by only 6,000 votes.
 
 Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's got a lot to think about. She has the name but neither her father's nor her uncle's biography. Her reputation as a strong and persuasive political leader has yet to be established. And when talk turns to friends of the powerless in Maryland, the name Kathleen Kennedy Townsend does not immediately come to mind. African Americans, because of the Kennedy link, are presumably part of her natural base. But how hard -- or soft -- is it?
 
 Clarence M. Mitchell IV, an African American state senator from Baltimore, has already defected to Townsend's likely Republican opponent, Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., because of disagreement with the governor's redistricting plan. Mitchell, by himself, can't derail her candidacy. But if Townsend, fearful of upsetting the political establishment, wimps out on choosing a highly qualified black running mate, the combination of the Mitchell family in Baltimore and others bad-mouthing her candidacy will certainly dampen enthusiasm for the Townsend ticket among the faithful.
 
 This isn't to say they will turn in droves to Republican Ehrlich. They won't. But it's a sure bet that the black turnout that came through for Gore in 2000 and the Glendening-Townsend ticket in '94 will not materialize for Townsend in November 2002.
 
 Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, as she tours the state and in the days ahead, needs the best political compass she can beg, borrow or buy.
 
  e-mail: kingc@washpost.com