Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has already staffed up in Iowa, a sign that he’s pinning his likely 2016 presidential campaign on an early win against Hillary Clinton.
Eleven of his staffers are on the ground in Iowa, “working to elect Democrats and build valuable connections for 2016,” according to The Daily Beast.
These staffers have been placed through the Iowa Democratic Party, who are focused on either field efforts or political outreach.
O’Malley told a Democratic fundraiser that he would run for president regardless of what Clinton decides, according to the Wall Street Journal, and his bigger staff presence in the state backs that up.
Clinton, meantime, will return to Iowa on Sunday with her husband Bill Clinton to headline Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry — her first trip to the key presidential primary state since the 2008 presidential election.
The RealClearPolitics poll has O’Malley fifth, behind Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
