Politics
Martin O’Malley: Presidency Not a ‘Crown’ to be Shared by 2 Families
In this Jan. 16, 2015 photo, Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley speaks with reporters during a roundtable interview at the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
John Wagner, THE WASHINGTON POST
(The Washington Post)—Former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley took a swipe at likely 2016 contenders Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jeb Bush on Sunday, saying that “the presidency of the United States is not some crown to be passed between two families.”
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” O’Malley, who is weighing a possible run against Clinton for the Democratic nomination, called the presidency “an awesome and sacred trust to be earned and exercised on behalf of the American people.”
O’Malley — who at times has been reluctant to take on Clinton directly — declined to say whether he thought the former secretary of state would stand up to Wall Street and other special interests. “I don’t know where she stands,” he told host George Stephanopoulos. “Will she represent a break with the failed policies of the past? Well, I don’t know.”
O’Malley is trying to position himself as a more liberal and forward-looking alternative to Clinton, who holds a commanding lead in early polls among Democratic voters and is expected to make her bid official next month.
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