There are a handful of nationally-known Democrats waiting to jump at the opportunity of the Democratic nomination should Hillary Clinton prove unable or unwilling to clench the mantle in 2016. One of those figures, who has openly affirmed his desire to run, is Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. O’Malley recently spent some time in Iowa and received a pretty warm reception.
Report from The Des Moines Register:
Polling shows Clinton is the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 race, but she said Friday she won’t make up her mind until her first grandchild is born this fall and she can “figure out how that feels.” So far this presidential election cycle, she has avoided the implied desire for the Oval Office that an Iowa trip brings about.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is pointedly not avoiding Iowa.
“Any campaign still comes down to one individual meeting with and talking to another individual,” he told about 45 Democratic activists at a pre-door-knocking rally at a Beaverdale bar Saturday morning, “because the most powerful beliefs we share are those beliefs that come alive in the context of relationships with one another.”
…
Malley was pressed for time, but he didn’t leave the venue without shaking hands with everyone he could reach. [Emphasis added]
The last boldfaced line may be the kicker for anyone wishing to challenge Hillary Clinton. Be a candidate of the people and relate to the average voter. Hillary Clinton has struggled with that, especially given her recent gaffes about being “dead broke” while purchasing a home in the upscale bastion of Chappaqua, located in Westchester County outside New York City, for her 2000 US Senate run.
O’Malley may be more relatable along the lines of Vice President Biden, who always projects that blue-collar attitude when immersed in voters on the campaign stump.
