By: Nicholas Sohr

Tune into President Obama’s jobs speech Thursday and you may see a familiar face in the crowd.

Gov. Martin O’Malley will attend the president’s economic speech before a joint session of Congress, the governor’s office revealed Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for O’Malley said the invitation was extended by the White House earlier this week.

“It was definitely last-minute,” said Takirra Winfield, the spokeswoman.

“I think the White House does recognize the governor’s stance on jobs and job creation,” she said. “He’s right there with the Obama administration in finding innovative ways to invest in and create jobs.”

Indeed, not only is O’Malley an easy choice for a short-notice invite — the Maryland State House is a 32 mile drive from the White House – but the two men haven’t been shy about promoting what they believe to be the government’s ability to spur job creation.

Just last week, O’Malley appointed nine members to a board that will oversee a venture capital program filled with $75 million in state funds.

“For a modern economy to create jobs we need to make modern investments,” O’Malley said then.

Then there was Obama’s $787 billion stimulus program and the plan he’ll unveil Thursday is expected to cost at least $300 billion. It will include tax cuts and infrastructure spending, according to The Washington Post.

O’Malley will “be there to listen and see how this affects Maryland,” Winfield said.

No word yet on whether or not O’Malley will get a presidential shout-out during the speech. You’ll just have to tune in and find out, unless you’d rather watch football. (If nothing else, the jobs speech will effectively push football previews onto G4 and SyFy, channels better known for coverage of video games and this. That’s some kind of accomplishment.)