Politics
Illustration: Mark Marturello/The Des Moines Register
PARTY: Democrat
BORN: January 18, 1963 in Washington, D.C.
What he’s got: Executive experience as a two-term mayor of Baltimore and two-term governor of Maryland; an extensive, largely consistent liberal record on issues that matter to the Democratic nominating electorate, from gay marriage and immigration to gun control, capital punishment, and the minimum wage; plausible breakout potential in Iowa (where he has spent a ton of time, starting in 1984 as a door-knocker for Gary Hart); a keen understanding of both the tactics and strategies of winning campaigns; a fresh, dauntingly handsome face, boyish charm, and energy to burn.
What he lacks: Even minimal name recognition, let alone an avid following, outside the Old Line State; national security credentials; a shred of evidence that his efforts to court his party’s Elizabeth Warren wing are paying off; an economic message clearly distinct from that of Hillary Clinton—or as clearly distinctive as that of Bernie Sanders; the focus to shine reliably on the stump.
O’Malley, who is something of a selfie expert, takes a photo at Baltimore's Horseshoe Casino, on August 26, 2014. Photograph by: Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Governor Martin O’Malley looks out at the State House's public gallery from behind a door, in Annapolis, Maryland, on April 5, 2013. Photograph by: Christopher Gregory/The New York Times
O’Malley enthusiastically addresses supporters after his victory in the Baltimore mayoral Democratic primary, on September 14, 1999. Photograph by: AP Photo/Roberto Borea
O’Malley leads a rendition of "This Land is Your Land" during an appearance at a New Hampshire Young Democrats' event in Nashua, N.H., on March 31, 2015. Photograph by: Jon Hill/Redux
O’Malley and his family ride in Baltimore's Saint Patrick's Day parade, on March 16, 2003. Photograph by: AP Photo/Gail Burton
During his first mayoral campaign, O’Malley uses a bullhorn to address participants at an October 1999 rally in response to the police shooting of Larry Hubbard in Baltimore. Photograph by: AP Photo/Roberto Borea
O’Malley performs with his band, O'Malley's March, at the Hampstead Hill Festival in Baltimore, on September 14, 2014. Photograph by: Nate Pesce/The New York Times
O’Malley tenses up as he strides out of the Chesapeake Bay during the 15th annual Polar Bear Plunge in Annapolis, Maryland, on January 29, 2011. Photograph by: Jonathon Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images
O’Malley announces he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination at Baltimore's Federal Hill Park, on May 30, 2015. Photograph by: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
We Have to Do a Better Job of Policing
O’Malley explains how a desire for justice inspired him to go into politics.
“Candidates at various levels, whether mayor or governor or president, have begun races at 1 or 2 percent.”
“What's keen-wa?”
- On trendy grains.
“I probably wouldn't be able to play music in bars. But I hope I never stop playing music.’
- On his music career, should he become president.
“I ran for mayor because our city [Baltimore] was hurting ... we were burying more and more young men by violent death.”
“They are unheard, they are told they are unneeded by this economy, and that extreme poverty breeds conditions for extreme violence.”
- On the urban poor.
Wife
Catherine "Katie" O’Malley
Baltimore district court judge.
Children
Grace O’Malley, Daughter
Tara O’Malley, Daughter
William O’Malley, Son
Jack O’Malley, Son
Parents
Thomas O’Malley, Father
Barbara O’Malley, Mother
