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He made no bones about his reason for the Charm City event. ‘‘I’m running for Senate president. Mike has said the next Senate president has to go out there and raise money for elected Democrats. I completely agree, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

But ‘‘Mike” — Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach, who spoke at Frosh’s reception — continued to back off remarks he made in November that he will step down from the rostrum at the end of his current term.

‘‘I’m not going to make a final decision until the spring following the [2010] session,” he said Thursday. ‘‘We have too much work at hand to even be speculating about this.”

Miller himself has held two pricey fundraisers in the past two months — one in Baltimore’s Little Italy and one at his waterfront home — fueling speculation that he is rethinking his plans.

With the state facing severe fiscal problems, Miller said, no one should be focused on jockeying for a possible leadership vacancy. Rather, the off-year fundraisers by Senate leaders are pivotal to helping elect Democrats, he said.

If he does decide to step down, Miller said, he won’t endorse a successor. Frosh, Finance Chairman Thomas McLain Middleton (D-Dist. 28) of Waldorf and Budget & Taxation Chairman Ulysses Currie (D-Dist. 25) of Forestville are considered the leading candidates.

One dark horse candidate, Robert J. Garagiola (D-Dist. 15) of Germantown, organized a small reception in Annapolis on Wednesday. He estimated that it raised about $15,000.

Garagiola warned people not to read too much into the location. He has held fundraisers in the state capital before to make it easier for the Annapolis establishment to attend, rather than making them trek to Montgomery in rush-hour traffic.

Wednesday’s $1,000-a-plate reception, he said, was geared more toward State House lobbyists than constituents.

Garagiola said it’s far too early to eye moving up the ranks.

‘‘So many factors can change between now and then ...,” he said. ‘‘It’s hard to figure out what your next move can be because the landscape can shift quite a bit.”

Nevertheless, Frosh said, it’s always wise to strengthen relations with colleagues and beneficial to maintain ties with business and labor interests, which are rich in Baltimore. ‘‘It’s too early to go to someone and say, ‘I want your vote,’ but it does make sense to reach out to people and get to know them,” he said.

It’s not the first time a Frosh fundraiser has drawn scrutiny. A group of Baltimore political heavyweights threw a bash for Frosh in 2004, prompting talk that he was mulling a run for statewide office.

There’s nothing unusual about Frosh traveling across the state said Lisa A. Gladden, vice chairwoman of Judicial Proceedings.

Many issues that come before their panel extends beyond Montgomery County, she said, pointing out that a series of bills on ending the archaic practice of ground rents, which largely affected Baltimore city, was heard in Judicial Proceedings.

‘‘He’s a good statewide leader and coming to Baltimore is par for the course,” said Gladden (D-Dist. 41) of Baltimore.

And because Baltimore is home to some of the state’s biggest law practices, Frosh is a known commodity. ‘‘I think this is a natural place for a lawyer to come,” she said.

Even if Miller doesn’t retire, both men said raising money for Democrats is an important responsibility.

If Miller does step down, others will have to fill the fundraising void, Garagiola said. ‘‘I’m taking it upon myself to be in a position as we get closer to the 2010 elections to have enough resources that I can utilize to help incumbents that may have difficult races, and also to help challengers in districts that we identify that has strong Democratic constituencies.”

Politicians who can raise a lot of money outside their home jurisdictions are prime candidates to move up, said Montgomery College political science professor Gail Ewing.

‘‘Most people couldn’t raise anything outside their districts, because they’re so parochially focused,” she said. ‘‘You have to go where the money is ... and if you have a more magnanimous view of things and are not viewed as a Montgomery County elitist, [people are] going to be more apt to support you.”