ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – Maryland lawmakers approved a measure abolishing the death penalty on Friday and sent the bill to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has long supported banning capital punishment.

The House of Delegates voted 82-56 for legislation already approved by the Senate. Eighty Democrats and two Republicans voted for the bill, which needed 71 votes to pass. Eighteen Democrats joined 38 Republicans to vote against it.

The vote represented a major victory for the Democratic governor, who has pushed for five years for the death penalty’s repeal. He is widely believed to be weighing a presidential bid in 2016.