Martin O'Malley: Press Coverage

Press Coverage 

When you Google "Martin O'Malley" you unsurprisingly get an overwhelming amount of news articles about his potential bid for the 2016 presidential race. Because he hasn't officially announced his bid, this is to be expected. Although almost all of the articles talk about his potential bid, they don't all focus on the same thing. From what I can tell there are various news sources that putting out this media, not his campaign team. 

There are two main types of coverage that O'Malley is currently getting. They are either talking about his potential to give Hillary a run for her money, or they are talking about him getting ready to make his official bid. Both are good for O'Malley at this time because both add to his name recognition. 

O'Malley vs. Hillary 

One way that the press is covering O'Malley's potential bid is by talking about what it means for Hillary Clinton. There is a variety of coverage about this subject. Some think that he has a good shot at making Hillary work for the Democratic nomination, and others talk about how he doesn't have a chance. This is definitely setting him up well for the 2016 campaign. He's not getting nearly as much press coverage as Hillary, but he's getting more than any other Democrat and that's important. He needs as much press coverage as possible to gain name recognition before he officially announces his bid. 

Launching His Campaign

Another way the press is covering O'Malley is by talking about when they think he will announce his official bid. Most of the articles that I have read predict his announcement to be in late May in Baltimore. This coverage is important. It talks about interviews he has been giving where he talks about other candidates who have already put in their bid. This article talks about O'Malley's recent comments about Marco Rubio's economic view as, "bullshit." Although this statement could have backfired, most of the coverage of that comment has been about how it's made him look bold. Bold can be a very positive thing, especially coming from a candidate who's a rather new face to national politics. 

Conclusion 

Press coverage can be a candidate's best friend, or their worst enemy. As of right now, O'Malley really needs all the coverage he can get. His name recognition still isn't very good compared to other candidates who have already announced their bid. I think if he can keep getting this much coverage that it will be highly beneficial to his campaign. The fact that they are talking about him as Hillary's best competition is a really positive thing. It's also positive that they are talking about his campaign as if it is definitely going to happen. To me, that looks like he has gained enough support to feel confident about announcing his bid for President.