At Monday?s bill signing of special session legislation, there were big grins, several rounds of applause and congratulatory photos. But in exclusive interviews with The Examiner and broadcast reporters Tuesday, Gov. Martin O?Malley emphasized that the victory celebration, which carried over into the governor?s mansion, was not a certainty just a few days before.

“Success was not inevitable,” O?Malley told WBAL radio?s Scott Wycoff. “It could have gone very, very poorly. Three days before the close, there were many of us who thought that we had given it our best shot but this wasn?t going to happen.”

Recommended Stories

Howard delegates largely work together while partisanship rages

Len Lazarick: Capital shifts ?downy ocean?

Early-voting sites have problems, official says