O’Malley’s campaign:
He casts self as new generation leader
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley enters the Democratic presidential race, casting himself as a new generation leader.
— Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley entered the Democratic presidential race on Saturday in a long-shot challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2016 nomination, casting himself as a new generation leader who would rebuild the economy and reform Wall Street.
“I’m running for you,” he told a crowd of about 1,000 people in a populist message at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore, the city where he served as mayor before two terms as governor. He said he was drawn into the campaign “to rebuild the truth of the American dream for all Americans.”
After his announcement, O’Malley promptly headed to Iowa, where he is seeking to become the primary alternative to Clinton in the leadoff caucus state. Before more than 50 people at a union hall in Davenport, he touted his executive experience and called for economic reforms, drawing enthusiastic applause.
“We are still in just as grave a danger of having Wall Street excesses wreck our economy again and there’s not a need for it. When wealth concentrates as it has, it also
Davenport, Iowa concentrates and collects power and we have to retake control of our own government,” said O’Malley, who has made frequent visits to Iowa in recent months.
O’Malley, 52, who will appear in New Hampshire on Sunday, remains largely unknown in a field dominated by Clinton. Already in the race is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who could be O’Malley’s main rival for the support of the Democratic left.
An ally of former President Bill Clinton, O’Malley was the second governor to endorse Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2007. But he made clear that he thinks Democrats deserve a choice in the 2016 primary.
“The presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth . . . between two royal families,” O’Malley said, referring to the Clintons and Bushes. “It is a sacred trust to be earned from the people of the United States, and exercised on behalf of the people of the United States.”
He pointed to recent news reports that Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein would be “fine” with either Clinton or former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a leading Republican contender and the son and brother of presidents, in the White House.
It was a forceful message that O’Malley will focus on overhauling the financial system, a priority for liberals opposed to the bailouts of Wall Street banks. “Tell me how it is, that not a single Wall Street CEO was convicted of a crime related to the 2008 economic meltdown? Not a single one,” he said. “Tell me how it is, that you can get pulled over for a broken taillight, but if you wreck the nation’s economy you are untouchable?”
Aides said O’Malley called Hillary Clinton on Friday to tell her he was running. By Saturday afternoon, Hillary Clinton had tweeted, “Welcome to the race, Gov. O’Malley. Looking forward to discussing strong families and communities.”
O’Malley has spoken often about the economic challenges facing the nation and said he would bring new leadership, progressive values and the ability to accomplish things. “We are allowing our land of opportunity to be turned into a land of inequality,” he said.