Another weekend, another opportunity for Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley hit the talk show circuit and fuel speculation about 2016.
This time around, O’Malley appeared on “Square Off,” a show on the local ABC affiliate in Baltimore, and said Hillary Clinton would be a “great president” if she runs.
“She’s great,” he said. “I think she’s an outstanding leader, and I think she could be a great president, if she chooses to do it.”
Although the governor is thought to have his eyes on the White House, several O’Malley advisors told the Washington Post they think it’s unlikely that O’Malley would run against Clinton, who has publicly said she does not want the job.
But when O’Malley was asked about his own ambitions, he didn’t do anything to squash speculation saying, “I don’t know that anyone in their right mind, you know, looks at that awesome responsibility without having to do a lot of soul searching and a lot of discernment and introspection.”
A recent PPP poll showed that Clinton is the overwhelming favorite at this (very early) time to win the Democratic nomination. Sixty-one percent of Democrats said they would vote for Clinton, 12 percent for Vice President Joe Biden and 2 percent for O’Malley.
Even if you take Clinton and Biden out of the mix, the Maryland governor doesn’t fare much better. In this scenario, 45 percent of voters said they are unsure who they would vote for, 21 percent would vote for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and 5 percent for O’Malley.
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* Is the Post unfair to Mayor Vincent Gray?
* Most new jobs in D.C. are going to commuters, not residents
* Doug Duncan’s entry in Montgomery race should spur debate on county’s future
