Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said Sunday that he was “very seriously” thinking about entering the 2016 Democratic presidential primary and indicated that he would try to run to the left of frontrunner Hillary Clinton on social issues if he did.
“I’ll make a decision by the end of May,” he said in an appearance on the CBS program “Face The Nation.” He said it would be “an extreme poverty indeed” if the Democrats did not have a competitive primary.
O’Malley touted his record as governor guiding his state through the recent recession and his liberal credentials, including his approval of gay marriage in the state and his support of the DREAM Act for illegal immigrant children.
“That is the inclusive America I want to move to,” O’Malley said.
He would be an extreme longshot if he entered the race, as Clinton is far ahead of all potential rivals in current polls. Others expected to enter the race include former Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., an independent who caucuses with the Democrats.
