Can Martin O’Malley become the Gary Hart of the 2016 campaign (sans the scandal)?

[bigtree]

Young Gary Hart aides Martin O’Malley, left, Doug Wilson, Trevor Cornwell, Chris Phillips and Gary Robinson in the San Francisco area in advance of the 1984 Democratic convention. Wilson and Cornwell are among the Hart alumni helping O’Malley in his presidential bid. (Photo courtesy of Debbie Shore)


When Martin O’Malley turned 21 while working Gary Hart’s campaign ahead of the 1984 presidential primary, the candidate bought the young staffer his first legal beer.

More than 30 years later, O’Malley is the long-shot candidate. And his campaign is raising a figurative glass to his old boss, hoping to pull off a similar underdog victory in the New Hampshire primary.

“If he somehow could vault upward, then maybe he becomes the alternative that Gary Hart became in New Hampshire, in Iowa after 1984,” said Dante Scala, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire.

And O’Malley is reminiscent of Hart at this point in the race in many ways – little money to speak of, a short staff and single-digit poll numbers.

“It’s a heavy lift,” Scala added. “I’m not predicting this is going to happen...”



O’Malley served as mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007, then Maryland governor from 2007 to 2015. His supporters in New Hampshire – like former Obama co-chair Mary Rauh and Concord attorney Jay Surdukowski – are quick to point to his accomplishments in those positions, like his push to legalize same-sex marriage and raise the state’s minimum wage. Rauh and Surdukowski signed on as campaign co-chairs, along with former senator Peter Burling and Manchester attorney Dave Allen.

“He’s the only candidate who can point to 15 years of executive experience, and that experience accomplished great progressive results,” Rauh said in a campaign call this week.

That record should stand out among “the final three,” Surdukowski said. He heralded the recent debate as O’Malley’s best moment of the campaign so far.

“Some might say Bernie’s too hot and Clinton’s too cold – and O’Malley’s just right,” Surdukowski said.

They both downplayed O’Malley’s low standing in national polls – below 5 percent nationally and in New Hampshire.

“He’s guided by principles, and not by polls,” Rauh said.

“New Hampshire and Iowa are both places that are unimpressed by polls and pundits,” Surdukowski said. “There’s a great tradition of the Jimmy Carters and the Bill Clintons and the Gary Harts.”

read more: https://politics.concordmonitor.com/2015/11/politics-election/can-martin-omalley-become-the-gary-hart-of-the-2016-campaign/



Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley, top right, looks toward the Dawson house (Dawson family victims of deadly firebombing) during a ground-breaking ceremony that will turn the house, located in the 1400 block of E. Preston Street, into a community center. (Kenneth K. Lam)

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[Recursion]

2. I'm not remotely calling it a day. He's polling about where Clinton was in '91

Lots of stuff changes in January...

[bigtree]

3. agreed

...

[Todays_Illusion]

4. I say no and the difference is natural vanilla versus artificial vanilla; I find O'Malley artifical.

[bigtree]

5. the illusion has spoken

...or has it?

Watch me make you disappear...or, did I?

[Nye Bevan]

6. Absolutely, if Hillary has to drop out for health or any other reasons,

or makes some kind of monumental mistake. O'Malley would leapfrog over Bernie in a heartbeat. I imagine that senior Democratic party figures are determined that O'Malley should stay in the race as a backup candidate who is actually credible in the case of such an eventuality.

[elleng]

7. If only your imaginings were real, Nye Bevan!

Considering what Dem party has done vis a vis debates, I tend to disagree, but will be very pleased to be mistaken.

[FSogol]

8. If that was true, wouldn't they write some checks to make it happen?

[elleng]

9. “New Hampshire and Iowa are both places that are unimpressed by polls and pundits,” Surdukowski said

[elleng]

10. “He’s the only candidate who can point to 15 years of executive experience,

and that experience accomplished great progressive results,” Rauh said in a campaign call this week.

That record should stand out among “the final three,” Surdukowski said. He heralded the recent debate as O’Malley’s best moment of the campaign so far.

“Some might say Bernie’s too hot and Clinton’s too cold – and O’Malley’s just right,” Surdukowski said.