Politics & Government
Maryland Governor Urges New Hampshire to 'Believe'; Is Presidential Bid Looming?
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley touted his record of improving the state's public schools and the dropping crime rate in Baltimore during a Democratic Party fundraiser in New Hampshire.
By Deb Belt
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley wants Americans to "Believe," perhaps in him as a presidential candidate, says theBaltimore Business Journal.
O'Malley on Saturday spoke at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's annual dinner and dusted off his 2002 "Believe" campaign, said the Journal in a link to a BuzzFeed report.
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O'Malley, a Democrat, launched the $2.1 million "Believe" campaign during his second year as Baltimore mayor. It included a huge marketing blitz and a hotline people could call to fight the city's crime and drug problems, the Business Journal said.
His appearance in New Hampshire at the Granite State’s annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, a fundraising event for the state Democratic Party, included a three-minute video touting a resurgence in Baltimore, according to CNN.
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O’Malley inherited a $1.7 billion deficit and under-performing schools upon taking office, CNN reported. Since then, Maryland has clocked five straight years as the nation’s best-performing state for public schools, according to the independent publication Education Week.
The video cites a variety of other measures that ranked Maryland as the best-performing state, as well as Governing Magazine’s naming of O’Malley as one of the eight best public officials in the country in 2009.
O'Malley has been open about his presidential aspirations, although he would be an underdog to prospective Democratic candidates such as Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden, the Business Journal says.
In September, O'Malley finished last among Democrats in a national poll gauging support for several possible candidates.
According to the CNN/ORC poll, a possible O’Malley bid for president in 2016 had the backing of just 2 percent of Democrats and liberal leaning independents.
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