Martin O'Malley: Image & Issues

O'Malley's Candidate Image

Martin O'Malley stepped down this year from his position as Governor of Maryland after eight years. His lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown, ran unsuccessfully to succeed him as Governor. During the campaign, Brown's opponent had many TV ads that were negative attacks on both Brown and O'Malley. The Washington Post reported that because O'Malley never countered any of the negative attacks, because he wasn't running for office, his approval rating dropped down in Maryland. However, since the election is over and he is out of office his rating is evenly split at 47%. These numbers don't necessarily reflect how people will view him if he decides to make a run for the presidency in 2016. His image was attacked this fall during the elections, but he also wasn't running any kind of campaign to counter those negative ads at the time. O'Malley is currently going on speaking tours for different organizations and that will help him gain a favorable image within the Democratic Party.

Some people have criticized him for increasing the sales tax in Maryland too much. No one really feels favorably about paying higher taxes, but because of the tax increase O'Malley was able to keep the states' schools funded properly and keep Maryland's AAA Bond Rating during the recession. He will be able to use these facts to justify raising taxes and that will help him keep a favorable image within the party. However, if he wins the Democratic nomination Republicans will probably use his tax increases against him. He will have to show the voters that he was fiscally responsible with those tax dollars and how he used them to help move Maryland in the right direction. School funding and the well being of the economy are issues that are important to most Americans, his success with those issues will help create a positive candidate image in 2016.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths: Martin O'Malley's strengths can be seen in his record as Governor. Maryland's schools were named the best schools in America five years in a row, Maryland kept its AAA bond rating during the recession, the state was number one in the nation in STEM jobs and in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he cut state spending by $9.7 billion. His strengths will also lie within the middle to lower class Americans. He raised the state's minimum wage to $10.10, he expanded the opportunity for more Marylanders to go to college with the DREAM Act, and he also created thousands of jobs by investing in Maryland's transit projects. His focus on job creation and education show that his values lie within the future of this country and making sure that it's a bright one.

Weaknesses: O'Malleys weaknesses will be that he is not as well known as some of the other potential candidates. There are a lot of big names that are considering running in 2016 and that could hurt O'Malley since his name isn't as well known as Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush.

Opportunities: O'Malley could very well turn his weakness into a strength. Other candidates might have more well known names, but that also means a lot of Americans have already made up their minds about them. O'Malley has the opportunity to use that against them and create a new fresh image for himself.

Threats: O'Malley's biggest threats are his tax increases being used against him and Republicans linking him with Obama. We saw this a lot in the 2014 elections and it was a successful strategy for the Republicans.

Issues

Martin O'Malley's website highlights three main issues: education, public safety, and job creation. I agree that these are the appropriate issues to focus on. These issues are the main focus for a lot of Americans and they are also some of the most debated issues in politics.

Education: O'Malley believes in investing in the nations' school systems and providing a quality education for all of America's children. He is also fighting for college to become more affordable as it becomes more necessary in today's world. Americans care about the nations future and children, and O'Malley's focus on that during his governorship shows that he does too.

Public Safety: Under his governorship, Baltimore's violent crimes dropped 42%, the biggest drop out the nation's 20 most populous cities. He encourages public safety by promoting gun safety and investing in law enforcement. O'Malley is not an anti-gun Democrat, but he believes we need to focus on promoting gun safety, school safety, and investing in mental health. With the horrific number of shootings in these past few years, gun safety is becoming a bigger political issue for Americans.

Job Creation: This issue has always been, and will remain, a very important issue to Americans. O'Malley created multiple initiatives to speed up private sector job creation and has made it his top priority. Maryland was one of the most successful states in job creation under his governorship and that will show Americans that he will be able to lead the American economy in the right direction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/martin-omalleys-approval-rating-improved-in-maryland-since-october/2015/02/10/9a6a5c7a-b169-11e4-827f-93f454140e2b_story.html

http://www.ksdp.org/press/former-maryland-governor-martin-omalley-deliver-kansas-democrats-washington-days-keynote-speec

http://martinomalley.com/