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Martin O’Malley Won’t Run For Sen. Mikulski’s Seat

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03.03.15 | 10:45 am
FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2014, file photo, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks with reporters after addressing a conference hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. If O'Malley harbo... FILE - In this Feb. 28, 2014, file photo, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks with reporters after addressing a conference hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party in Myrtle Beach, S.C. If O'Malley harbors any doubts about running for president against Hillary Rodham Clinton, he now has a viable off-ramp. For more than a year, the former Maryland governor has explored what looks today to be a longshot bid for the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2016. A second option arrived March 2, 2015, when Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski announced plans to retire.(AP Photo/Bruce Smith, File) MORE LESS

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) has decided to not run for Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s (D-MD) Senate seat.

“Senator Mikulski has done an outstanding job representing Maryland in the U.S. Senate for nearly 30 years,” O’Malley said in a statement on Tuesday. “I am hopeful and confident that very capable public servants with a desire to serve in the Senate will step up as candidates for this important office. I will not be one of them.”

On Monday, Mikulski announced that she would not run for re-election in 2016 and immediately Democrats started to produce shortlists of who could run for Senate, among them Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), and O’Malley.

O’Malley, however, has taken steps suggesting he’s planning to run for president in 2016. His decision to forego a Senate run, despite trailing former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) in polling, suggests he’s still set on that.

Daniel Strauss