Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley says even if Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would have taken home the Democratic nomination last summer, he would not have defeated President Trump in the November election.
“I don’t believe so,” O’Malley said last Friday on a podcast hosted by Jon Allen and Peter Ogburn. “I think a lot of people have a lot of admiration for Sen. Sanders and the consistent message that he’s had for 30-40 years, and it’s a message that resonated strongly within our party. But I think that — look, I wouldn’t have run if I thought he could’ve or [Clinton] could’ve won the general, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”
However, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, who dropped out of the campaign after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses, believes he would have defeated Trump in November had he gained momentum and won in Iowa, unlike Clinton, Sanders and even former Vice President Joe Biden had he run.
“I think I would have won,” O’Malley said.
Since the election, O’Malley briefly flirted with a run for the Democratic National Committee chairman, which ultimately Tom Perez ultimately won in late February. However, he remains active in Democratic politics, including trips to early primary states to campaign for down-ballot candidates and left the door open to a future presidential campaign.
“I might run for president in 2020,” he said. “I think it’s way too early for anybody to make that determination right now. There’s a lot of dust in the glass and that needs to settle here … It remains to be seen.”
