That’s the question — who is he? — that plagues the presidential campaign of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. O’Malley, a Democrat, hopes to turn that anonymity to his advantage. After all, it’s one thing his rival doesn’t have: nobody in recent memory has asked who is Hillary Clinton? (Unless they pose the question philosophically.) O’Malley is well-known in Maryland, of course, having been not only governor but also mayor of Baltimore — a position he implies puts him closer to the people and their real issues than the globe-trotting out-of-touch centrist celebrity Hillary Clinton could ever be. They’re friends, by the way.
But having been mayor of strife-torn Baltimore is not exactly a ringing endorsement for O’Malley’s ability to level the economic playing field. O’Malley will position his run between the Vermont socialist Bernie Sanders and the corporate mouthpiece Clinton. Campaign finance reform, immigration reform, education and economic inequality will be O’Malley’s key issues. (Duh!) He’ll say he’s a problem solver, indirectly saying Clinton has been part of the myriad problems he’ll solve. He’s 52. Like Clinton, O’Malley is a lawyer.
