Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016

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Martin O'Malley suspended his presidential campaign on February 1, 2016.[1]

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Former presidential candidate
Martin O'Malley
Political offices:
Governor of Maryland
(2007-2015)
Mayor of Baltimore
(1999-2007)
O'Malley on the issues:
Taxes • Banking policy • Government regulations • International trade • Budgets • Federal assistance programs • Foreign affairs • Federalism • Natural resources • Healthcare • Immigration • Education • Abortion • Gay rights
Democratic Party Democratic candidates:
Joe Biden • Hillary Clinton • Andrew Cuomo • Kirsten Gillibrand • Amy Klobuchar • Dennis Kucinich • Brian Schweitzer • Mark Warner • Elizabeth Warren • Jim Webb
Ballotpedia's presidential election coverage
2024 • 2020 • 2016


See also: Martin O'Malley

Martin O'Malley was a Democratic candidate for the office of President of the United States in 2016. He made his announcement on May 30, 2015, becoming the third Democratic candidate to enter the race.[2]

He suspended his campaign on February 1, 2016, telling supporters, "Words cannot express how grateful I am to all of you my true friends who have helped me in waging this courageous battle. When I got into this 8 months ago I had no doubt that it would be anything but a tough fight. And it is a tough fight. But I have always been drawn to a tough fight."[1]

O'Malley served as the governor of Maryland from January 17, 2007, to January 21, 2015. He served as the chair of the Governor's Executive Council from 2007 to 2015 and the co-chair of the Council of Governors from 2013 to 2015.[3] Prior to his gubernatorial career, O'Malley served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007.

O'Malley previously stated on January 8, 2015, "I’m very seriously considering running in 2016. Right now, my primary responsibility is to move my family back to Baltimore, which I will do in another week. So I’m going to be taking some time over the next couple of months to get my family situated."[4] As of 2016, seventeen presidents had also served as governors.[5]

In candidate rankings, Crowdpac ranked O'Malley as a 6.7L (L being liberal) on a scale ranging from 10L to 10C, which made him the second most liberal Democratic presidential candidate at the time.[6]

On the issues

Martin-OMalley-circle.png
Quick facts about O'Malley
Birthday: January 18, 1963
Birthplace: Washington, D.C.
Alma maters: Catholic University of America

University of Maryland School of Law

Career: Governor of Maryland (8 years)

Mayor of Baltimore City (8 years)
Member, Baltimore City Council (8 years)

Spouse: Katie O'Malley
Children: William, Grace, Jack and Tara
Religion: Roman Catholic
Public policy
in the 2016 election
Budgets and Taxes
Education
Common Core
Student debt
Energy
Clean Power Plan
Fracking
Environment
Climate change
Healthcare
Medicaid and Medicare
Obamacare
Redistricting
Voting Rights Act
Voter ID
Public Policy Logo-one line.png
Hover over the words for information about the issue and links to related articles.

Economic and fiscal

Taxes

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Taxes
  • On December 8, 2015, Martin O'Malley wrote a brief op-ed for the Concord Monitor on climate change and clean energy, which includes a tax on carbon emissions. He said, “I’m the first candidate – and I hope not the last – to put forward a plan to power our country with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2050, while ending our reliance on fossil fuels. … As president, I will not only fully implement the Clean Power Plan, I will go further, setting targets for reducing emissions from other large sources and adopting a zero-tolerance policy for methane leaks from current oil and gas production. I will also fight for a cap or tax on carbon emissions and to set a national, cross-sector Renewable Electricity Standard so our nation is powered by 100 percent clean energy within 35 years." He continued, "With so much at stake [at the U.N. Climate Change Conference], it is disappointing that the other Democratic candidates for president haven’t released similarly ambitious plans. Secretary Clinton’s clean energy plan appears to be based on the voluntary adoption of solar panels. And Sen. Sanders’s plan, which he finally released Monday, appears to include weak carbon pollution reduction targets.”[9]
  • On November 23, 2015, O'Malley criticized the Pfizer-Allergan merger, characterizing the arrangement as a way for Pfizer to avoid certain taxes. The move is known as an tax inversion and occurs when an American-based company merges with foreign firm and the new combined company sets up headquarters abroad for the purposes of lowering it's U.S. tax bill. O'Malley said in a statement, “The Pfizer-Allergan merger is fundamentally unfair, and a prime example of how our capitalist economy is not supposed to work. American small businesses and middle-class taxpayers do not have the ability to game the system and avoid paying the taxes they owe — Pfizer should not be able to either.”[10]
  • As two-term governor of Maryland, O'Malley pushed for tax increases to fund his priorities such as investment in education and to prevent cuts due to the downturn in the broader national economy at the time.[11] Taxes and fees raised under O'Malley's watch included a three-year surcharge on the income of the state’s millionaires that expired in 2011. In 2012, lawmakers increased the personal income tax rate for residents who make more than $100,000 or couples who make more than $150,000. The state sales tax was raised to six percent from five percent in 2007. [12]
  • In 2013, O'Malley signed House Bill 1515, which raised the gas tax.[13]

Banking policy

See also:Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Banking policy
  • During the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate on January 17, 2016, Martin O'Malley called for reforming the banking industry: “I have put forward a plan that would actually put cops back on the beat of Wall Street. I have put forward a plan that was heralded as very comprehensive and realistic. Look, if a bank robber robs a bank and all you do is slap him on the wrist, he's just going to keep robbing banks again. The same thing is true with people in suits. Secretary Clinton, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, but for you to say there's no daylight on this between the three of us is also not true. I support reinstituting a modern version of Glass- Steagall that would include going after the shadow banks, requiring capital requirements that would force them to no longer put us on the hook for these sorts of things. In prior debates I've heard you even bring up -- I mean, now you bring up President Obama here in South Carolina in defense of the fact of your cozy relationship with Wall Street. In an earlier debate, I heard you bring up even the 9/11 victims to defend it. The truth of the matter is, Secretary Clinton, you do not go as far as reining in Wall Street as I would. And the fact of the matter is, the people of America deserve to have a president that's on their side, protecting the main street economy from excesses on Wall Street. And we're just as vulnerable today.””[14]
  • At the Democratic debate on October 13, 2015, O'Malley called out Hillary Clinton for opposing the reinstatement of the Glass-Steagall Act, the Depression-era banking law repealed in 1999 that separated commercial and investment banking activities. O'Malley said, "Once we repealed Glass-Steagall...the big banks, the six of them, went from controlling, what, the equivalent of 15 percent of our GDP to now 65 percent of our GDP. And...Secretary Clinton's campaign put out a lot of reversals on positions on Keystone and many other things. But one of them that we still have a great difference on, Madam Secretary, is that you are not for Glass-Steagall. You are not for putting a firewall between this speculative, risky shadow banking behavior. I am, and the people of our country need a president who's on their side, willing to protect the Main Street economy from recklessness on Wall Street.”[15]
  • O'Malley posted a white paper on his 2016 presidential campaign website detailing his banking and financial reform policy.[16]
    • Appoint individuals to key positions in the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) who "have strong backgrounds in fighting for the public interest and a proven ability to prosecute people who break the law."[16]
    • Make the Director of the Division of Enforcement at the SEC a presidential appointee subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate.[16]
    • Institute a three-year revolving door ban for federal employees working in the financial policy and regulatory sectors.[16]
    • Make the general counsel at the Federal Reserve and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York presidential appointees.[16]
    • Require the board of governors of the Federal Reserve "to vote on all major enforcement and supervisory decisions" that the institution makes.[16]
    • Double funding for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and SEC.[16]
    • Establish a Division of Economic Crimes with the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.[16]
    • Implement a points accrual system for perpetrators of financial crimes that could ultimately lead to "the revocation of an entity's right to operate."[16]
    • Require institutions to admit guilt for a "major crime or violation of a law... so that they face the full ramifications of parallel civil and criminal proceedings."[16]
    • Require the Department of Justice to explain why a deferred prosecution agreement or non-prosecution agreement is being used in cases with "significant economic crimes."[16]
    • Require SEC commissioners to publicly vote on waivers to culpable financial institutions and to explain "in detail" the reasoning for their vote.[16]
    • Reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act.[16]
    • Enforce regulations requiring large banks produce a "credible" living will to be used in the event of bankruptcy.[16]
    • Require financial institutions "with more than $500 billion in assets to have capital reserves of not less than 15 percent."[16]
    • Implement a financial transaction tax to disincentivize high-frequency trading.[16]
    • Establish a fiduciary standard for mortgage, auto loan and student loan brokers based on similar efforts in California and Washington.[16]
  • On July 9, 2015, O'Malley wrote an open letter to Wall Street "megabanks" announcing, "I have called for significant structural and accountability reforms—like reinstating Glass-Steagall and increasing enforcement at the SEC, DOJ, and other agencies and departments—to prevent another economic crash and protect hard-working families from losing their jobs, homes, and life savings once again." O'Malley added, "I know that many of you have tried to dismiss and undermine my calls for stronger reforms as 'anti-capitalist.' Let me be clear – the ongoing reckless behavior of your megabanks isn’t capitalism – it’s the antithesis of it. True capitalism requires a level playing field on which everyone plays by the same set of rules. True capitalism requires competition. True capitalism means that just as businesses and banks can succeed – they can also fail."[17]

Government regulations

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Government regulations
  • On December 8, 2015, Martin O'Malley wrote a brief op-ed for the Concord Monitor on climate change and clean energy, which includes implementing President Obama's Clean Power Plan setting new rules for reducing emissions. He said, “I’m the first candidate – and I hope not the last – to put forward a plan to power our country with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2050, while ending our reliance on fossil fuels. … As president, I will not only fully implement the Clean Power Plan, I will go further, setting targets for reducing emissions from other large sources and adopting a zero-tolerance policy for methane leaks from current oil and gas production. I will also fight for a cap or tax on carbon emissions and to set a national, cross-sector Renewable Electricity Standard so our nation is powered by 100 percent clean energy within 35 years." He continued, "With so much at stake [at the U.N. Climate Change Conference], it is disappointing that the other Democratic candidates for president haven’t released similarly ambitious plans. Secretary Clinton’s clean energy plan appears to be based on the voluntary adoption of solar panels. And Sen. Sanders’s plan, which he finally released Monday, appears to include weak carbon pollution reduction targets.”[18]
  • At the end of his term as governor of Maryland in 2014, O'Malley pushed for regulation of phosphorus run-off from farms.[19]

International trade

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/International trade
  • Martin O'Malley unveiled his trade platform on October 9, 2015. According to the white paper posted on his 2016 presidential campaign website, O’Malley planned to reject “secret trade agreements,” “prohibit currency manipulation,” oppose investor-state dispute settlements in trade agreements, “lift labor standards” globally and “improve environmental protection.”[20][21]
Martin O'Malley, "Bad Trade Deals," April 21, 2015.
Martin O'Malley's tweet from April 21, 2015
  • In June 2013, O'Malley traveled to France and Ireland on a trade mission. He attended the International Paris Air Show, had "meetings with aerospace companies Lockheed Martin, BAE and Thales, and a reception with the U.S. ambassador to France." He also met with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny. O'Malley said, "The Paris Air Show is truly a unique opportunity to help our Maryland companies explore new opportunities for investment and trade, and to encourage leaders from many of the world’s largest aerospace companies to choose Maryland as the ideal place to establish operations."[22]
  • In 2011, O'Malley traveled to India and Brazil on a trade mission. During the mission, he announced that "Jasco Nutri Foods, an organic food distributor, is looking to invest $10 million in Maryland" and that "Jubilant Life Sciences is planning to spend $20 million to expand its existing plant and warehouse in Salisbury," which brought "the total deliverables from the India trip to $60 million," according to the Maryland Reporter.[23]

Budgets

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Budgets
  • During the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate on January 17, 2016, Martin O'Malley talked about restructuring the budget to make investments in infrastructure and other areas. He said, “I had to make more cuts than any governor in the history of Maryland, but we invested more in infrastructure, more in transportation. We made our public schools [the best] in America more than five years in a row, and went four years in a row without a penny's increase to college tuition. The things that we need to do in our country, like debt-free college in the next five years, like making universal -- like making national service a universal option in order to cut youth unemployment in half in the next three years, all these things can be done if we eliminate one entitlement we can no longer afford as a nation. And that is the wealthy among us, those making more than a million dollars, feel that they are entitled to paying a much lower marginal tax rate than was usual for the better part of these 80 years. And if we tax earnings from investments on money -- namely capital gains -- at the same rate as we tax sweat and hard work and toil, we can make the investments we need to make to make our country better.”[24]
  • O'Malley "eliminated 4,200 state jobs and $5.6 billion in spending during his first term," according to the National Journal.[25]

Federal assistance programs

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Federal assistance programs
  • In a November 26, 2015 ,Thanksgiving day, op-ed, Martin O'Malley discussed his plan to make sure that no child is hungry. He wrote, “The fact is, we can make sure that no child goes hungry – not in some distant time or the next generation, but within five years. That’s why I have made eliminating child hunger by 2020 one of my 15 Goals for Rebuilding the American Dream – which will serve as a guide, day in and day out, for what I would do as president.” O’Malley proposed, “fighting back against austerity budgets that hurt our people and do nothing to grow our economy.” He also proposed restoring “cuts to key nutrition programs like SNAP” and the National School Lunch Program.[26]
  • O'Malley's campaign released a white paper on August 21, 2015, outlining O’Malley’s plan to expand Social Security. As president, O’Malley would seek to increase Social Security benefits for all retirees, remove the cap on payroll taxes for workers earning more than $250,000, improve the cost-of-living adjustments formula, offer “caregiver credits” to elder care providers and maintain the current Social Security retirement age.[27]
  • In December 2013, O'Malley "announced that a state record 12,504 people left welfare and found employment in the year ending September 30. More than one-third (37%) of these jobs pay $10/hour or more, and many former welfare recipients are working in key industries such as health care, warehousing, along with educational and administrative support," according to The Maryland Department of Human Resources.[28]
  • "Over the last seven years, we have transitioned more than 75,000 individuals into jobs — individuals who would otherwise be dependent on the state for economic support. By linking a record number of parents with jobs, we are helping more moms and dads in Maryland obtain the skills they need to compete and better provide for their families," O’Malley said.[28]

Labor and employment

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Labor and employment
  • Martin O'Malley issued a “Worker’s Bill of Rights” on January 14, 2016, detailing the bills he would support to “grow America’s middle class” and increase wages in the U.S. He expressed support for 12 weeks of family care-based paid leave, the right to a predictable work schedule and the expansion of Social Security benefits, in addition to other policies.[29]
  • To show solidarity with members of IBEW Local 1228, O'Malley, on December 10, 2015, called on Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders to “cease advertising on WMUR Channel 9 and Hearst stations a until management begins negotiations with employees.” The union had hoped to come to terms on a new contract with the station before the democratic debate on December 19, 2015, in Manchester, N.H. Of the discussions, WMUR president and general manager Jeff Bartlett said, “We have been actively negotiating in good faith on this current contract and have reached agreement on a wide number and range of proposals, and we are continuing to negotiate.”[30]
  • O'Malley wrote an op-ed in The Gazette on September 14, 2015, calling for at least 12 weeks of paid leave for parents regardless of gender, sexual orientation or marital status. O’Malley also advocated for “making pay data publicly available by sex, race, and ethnicity, so that all employees can see that they’re making a fair wage for their job."[31]
  • O'Malley encouraged the growth of the labor movement on September 7, 2015, saying, “If we're going to give our children a future with more opportunity rather than less, then we have to make the sort of choices our parents and grandparents made. Like raising the minimum wage, and raising it to $15 an hour, however and wherever we can. Choices like paying overtime pay for overtime work, and making it easier for people to bargain collectively for better wages for all of us."[32]
  • O'Malley released a white paper on September 2, 2015, promoting his plan to expand national service programs. O’Malley proposed to “double the Peace Corps, fully fund AmeriCorps to 250,000 positions – then double it again, create new federal jobs corps, help achieve full employment for America’s veterans, make service part of the college experience, expand education awards for service members to make college debt-free, [and] ask military recruiters to provide information about civilian service opportunities to all deemed ineligible for military service.”[33][34]
  • In 2013, O'Malley signed a bill requiring public school teachers to pay fees to a teachers union.[35]

Foreign affairs

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Foreign affairs

Iran nuclear deal

See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Iran nuclear deal
  • In a July 2015 interview on Iowa Public Radio, Martin O'Malley suggested the Iran nuclear deal might be a path for the United States to begin “waging peace.” O’Malley explained, “[T]he key now is to make sure that it is in fact enforceable, verifiable, tightly monitored, and that we're prepared to snap sanctions back into place in the event that the Iranians were to cheat on this. But I think it holds a lot of promise. And I think this is how an effective foreign policy works, not merely using our military powers, but also our diplomatic. We have to also be about waging peace. And perhaps this deal is that path forward.”[36]
  • On March 29, 2015, O'Malley said, "The greatest danger that we face right now on a consistent basis in terms of manmade threats is -- is -- nuclear Iran and related to that, extremist violence. I don't think you can separate the two. I think they go together. ...In our state, we passed some of the earliest and strongest sanctions against Iranian nuclear development of any state in the union. The goal was to drive the Iranians to the negotiating table. And I think we should support the president in achieving that negotiated settlement. I mean, you see 47 members of the senate writing the letter, it's a sad day for our country. If you hate the president of the United States more than you distrust the ayatollah, then you probably shouldn't be in the United States senate."[37]

Military preparedness and budget

  • Martin O'Malley unveiled a veterans reform plan that included pledges to end veterans unemployment by 2020, overhaul health care offerings and ending “wrongful” military discharges related to post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Military Times. The reforms include expanding several of O’Malley’s veterans initiatives in Maryland to a national level, including the use of new data analysis tools and a greater emphasis on local facility control and response. He promised to lead a national call to action to prevent veteran suicide, to include personally touring multiple VA health facilities during his first month in office and increasing the number of mental health professionals within the department. O’Malley also promised better interoperability of VA and Pentagon health records and more accountability of senior VA executives. O'Malley also pledged to crack down on for-profit colleges that take advantage of veterans and close the 90/10 loophole that excludes GI Bill benefits from schools’ calculations of federal funds. For troops dismissed under the now-repealed “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, O’Malley supports automatically upgrading their service records, removing any blemish on their military careers.[38] [39]

National security

  • At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, Martin O'Malley discussed regime change in Libya and the need to develop human intelligence in the region: “I believe that one of the big failings in that region is a lack of human intelligence. We have not made the investments that we need to make to understand and to have relationships with future leaders that are coming up. That's what Chris Stevens was trying to do. But without the tools, without the support that was needed to that. And now what we have is a whole stretch now, of the coast of Libya, 100 miles, 150 miles, that has now become potentially the next safe haven for ISIL. They go back and forth between Syria and this region. We have to stop contributing to the creation of vacuums that allow safe havens to develop.”[40]
  • At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, Martin O'Malley discussed his unease with aggressive U.S. military intervention: “During the Cold War -- during the Cold War, we got into a bad habit of always looking to see who was wearing the jersey of the communists, and who was wearing the U.S. jersey. We got into a bad habit of creating big bureaucracies, old methodologies, to undermine regimes that were not friendly to the United States. Look what we did in Iran with Mosaddegh. And look at the results that we're still dealing with because of that. I would suggest to you that we need to leave the Cold War behind us, and we need to put together new alliances and new approaches to dealing with this, and we need to restrain ourselves.”[41]
  • On December 7, 2015, O'Malley told reporters that he supports President Obama’s plan to fight ISIS in the Middle East, but he added that more needs to be done to strengthen homeland security, including improving information sharing among federal agencies and local law enforcement and utilizing surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to identify potential terrorists. O’Malley said, "Hopefully, this is an opportunity for us to re-visit a lot of those things. To honestly assess whether every state has an intelligence fusion center that can piece together the sort of disparate bits of information, whether the joint terrorism task forces are actually functional in every state to follow up on the suspicious activity reports. We all hear the term, 'if you see something, say something.' Well what happens after we say something?"[42]
  • In an October 11, 2015, interview, O'Malley said he opposed establishing a no-fly zone over Syria at this time. He cautioned that Hillary Clinton was “always quick for the military intervention.”[43]
  • In a July 20, 2015, interview with Bloomberg Politics, O'Malley connected the rise of ISIS with climate change. O'Malley said, “One of the things that preceded the failure of the nation state of Syria and the rise of ISIS, was the effect of climate change and the mega-drought that affected that nation, wiped out farmers, drove people to cities, created a humanitarian crisis that created the symptoms — or rather, the conditions — of extreme poverty that has now led to the rise of ISIS and this extreme violence.”[44]
  • On February 11, 2015, O'Malley posted the following comments on his Facebook page: "The new AUMF should address ISIS specifically, and mitigate any unintended consequences by including clear language on the use of ground troops and the length and terms of engagement."[45]
  • In October 2014, O'Malley "echoed Mrs. Clinton’s critique of the president in suggesting that Mr. Obama had allowed the problem of the Islamic State to fester," according to The New York Times. O'Malley said, "It is at great risk to our national interest and national security to ever become disengaged from the broader world. Very often messes get worse the longer they go unattended."[46]
  • On December 16, 2011, O'Malley, who opposed the Iraq War, sent a letter to President Barack Obama thanking him for pulling troops out of Iraq.[47]
  • O'Malley wrote: "Thank you for doing what you said you would do in bringing our troops home from Iraq. Thank you for valuing the lives of our brave young men and women over the politically expedient course. Thank you for standing your ground against those who criticized and mocked you. Thank you for doing what only a few presidents have had the courage to do – end war."[47]

International relations

  • At an October 31, 2015 campaign stop in Iowa, Martin O'Malley advocated for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. “And however elusive it may seem to us, however many smart people say the time has passed for that sort of reconciliation or that long-term solution, I continue to believe that it is our best hope," O'Malley said.[48]
  • At the first Democratic primary debate, October 13, 2015, O'Malley said there were lessons to be learned from the 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. O'Malley said, "And those lessons are that we need to do a much better job as a nation of having human intelligence on the ground so that we know who the emerging next generation leaders are that are coming up to replace a dictator when his time on this planet ends. And I believe that's what Chris Stevens was trying to do. But he did not have the tools. We have failed as a country to invest in the human intelligence that would allow us to make not only better decisions in Libya, but better decisions in Syria today. And it's a huge national security failing.”[49]
  • On September 4, 2015, O'Malley called for the United States to take in at least 65,000 Syrian refugees. “Americans are a generous and compassionate people. But today our policies are falling short of those values. … If Germany – a country with one-fourth our population – can accept 800,000 refugees this year, certainly we – the nation of immigrants and refugees – can do more,” O’Malley said in a statement. O'Malley also wrote a letter to President Obama on September 15, 2015, reiterating his concern. “Our country is large enough and compassionate enough to welcome 65,000 Syrian refugees by 2017, and I encourage you to do everything in your power to respond appropriately to this moral imperative,” wrote O’Malley.[50][51]
  • On August 17, 2015, O'Malley wrote an op-ed for CNN about the cholera epidemic in Haiti, stating the United Nations “should acknowledge its role in the tragedy” and “endeavor to broaden its campaign to combat the ongoing epidemic.” He also noted the importance of the United States assuming a “greater leadership role in our own hemisphere.” O’Malley concluded, “As president, I would embrace a new national security approach focused on proactive, long-term threat reduction and reinvigorated regional alliances.”[52]
  • During a September 2014 interview, O'Malley said, "Israel, I believe, has a right to defend itself. The number of rockets that have been fired at Israel, the tunnels used to attack Israel, all of these things, the basics of border security, need to be addressed here and I hope our country can be a broker for peace and help bring about a resolution."[53]

Domestic

Federalism

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Federalism
Judiciary
  • In an interview with The Des Moines Register's editorial board on October, 29, 2015, Martin O'Malley said that capital punishment is "inconsistent with our principles as a nation. It's very hard to have any sympathy for mass murderers, for people like the Boston bomber or any of these individuals. But the principle is this: Capital punishment is not a deterrent."[54]
  • In June 2014, O'Malley "said he was disappointed with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said some public employees could not be required to contribute to unions," according to The Capital Gazette.[55]
  • After the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case was released, O’Malley tweeted: "No woman should have her health care decisions made by her boss. Period. This decision is wrong and a setback for women’s health."[56]
Article Two of the U.S. Constitution
  • On July 29, 2015, Martin O'Malley suggested he supports a constitutional amendment to abolish the electoral college. He said, “Well, as a matter of fact, our state — my state, became the first state to sign on to the popular vote movement, which says all of our electoral votes go toward whoever the winner was of the popular vote. So our state, Maryland, actually led in that movement.”[59]
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • On October 1, 2015, Martin O'Malley presented his campaign finance reform platform. In addition to fighting for Citizens United to be overturned, O’Malley would seek to establish “publicly financed congressional elections within five years” and bipartisan redistricting commissions. O’Malley also called for an overhaul of the Federal Election Commission and its disclosure requirements.[60][61]
Religious Freedom Restoration Act
  • During a speech in New Hampshire on April 1, Martin O'Malley criticized Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He said, "I think the wave of anti-gay and anti-lesbian legislation that's sweeping across many states is reprehensible and it's counter to everything that we stand for as a people. It's wrong, it is a thinly veiled–well, it's not even thinly veiled, I think the gig is up. Look, when you have people like Apple and all other sorts of businesses and leaders stepping up and saying not only is this wrong, not only does this run counter to who we are as Americans, it's also really bad for business. In our state, we adopted policies of inclusion, respect, and anti-discrimination laws to protect trans-gender people, as well as making marriage equality a civil right that’s enjoyed equally in our state. There’s a reason, and I think some of those things contributed to why the United States Chamber of Commerce, hardly a mouthpiece for the Maryland Democratic Party, named our state three years in a row number one state in America for innovation and entrepreneurship. Because economic inclusion, yes part of that is making wages go up so that workers earn more and can be better customers for businesses. But part of that is about also creating an open society where the talents of all are respected, needed and welcomed and where people can feel at home and contribute to the innovative and creative life of an economy and a state. So, let’s hope, my mom’s from Indiana. I know there’s a lot of really good people in Indiana, and this sort of ugly legislation is not consistent with the truer spirit of the people our nation or the people of Indiana."[62]
Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
See also: 2016 presidential candidates on the Charleston church shooting
  • Martin O'Malley tweeted on January 4, 2016, that he supported President Obama’s executive action on gun control given Republicans’ “refusal to act.”

  • At the third Democratic primary debate on December 19, 2015, O'Malley accused Hillary Clinton of switching her position on gun control: “Secretary Clinton changes her position on this every election year, it seems, having one position in 2000 and then campaigning against President Obama and saying we don't need federal standards. Look, what we need on this issue is not more polls. We need more principle. When ISIL does training videos that say the easiest way to get a combat assault weapon in the United States of America is at a gun show, then we should all be waking up. We need comprehensive gun safety legislation and a ban on assault weapons.”[63]
  • At a meeting of the Somersworth Democratic Committee in New Hampshire on November 30, 2015, Martin O'Malley said he would not be “passive” in fighting the National Rifle Association in the wake of the November 27, 2015, Colorado Planned Parenthood shooting. He said, “One day it is Planned Parenthood, another day it is a church basement, then a school shooting. Can you imagine what we would be doing as a nation if it was [ISIS] carrying out these attacks, rather than our own people? … We’ve become passive as if we are going to have to deal with this particular congress and the NRA’s clout forever. I don’t think the NRA is as strong as the rest of us. So I intend to take them on.”[64]
  • On November 3, 2015, O'Malley unveiled seven executive orders that he would issue to control gun violence, which included the following: “Using procurement contracts to advance gun safety by requiring manufacturers that seek federal contracts to make design changes;” ending the enforcement of a federal law that protects gun manufacturers when a gun made by that company is used in a violent act; enforcing “existing bans on gun ownership for domestic abusers and stalkers;” “banning so-called ‘cop killer’ ammunition;” “creating an ‘electronic alert system’ to inform local law enforcement officials when those who are prohibited from purchasing firearms attempt to do so;” “requiring the safe storage of firearms in homes by issuing and enforcing federal rules that make clear safety standards for gun locks and safes;” and “strengthening enforcement and audits of licensed dealers to ensure that they are in compliance with the law.”[65] [66]
  • O'Malley held a press conference October 28, 2015, near the University of Colorado-Boulder, the site of the third Republican debate where he called on Republican presidential candidates to challenge the National Rifle Association (NRA). "In these beautiful mountains of Colorado, I am in search of a very elusive being. And that is a Republican candidate with the backbone to take on the NRA," O'Malley said. He also criticized his Democratic rivals, saying, “Once Secretary Clinton and Sen. Sanders get done bickering about 'shouting' and who's sexist and who's not, I hope they come back to the main issue here, which is that we need common-sense gun legislation.”[67]
  • On September 14, 2015, O'Malley published an op-ed about gun violence prevention on CNN. He said he would change federal procurement policies of firearms to prevent trafficking and revoke the licenses of dealers who “routinely” sell guns that are used by criminals.[68]
  • O'Malley announced a gun violence prevention plan on September 14, 2015, targeting youth gun ownership. Under O’Malley’s plan, possession of a handgun or ammunition by anyone under the age of 21 would be illegal.[69]
  • O'Malley published an op-ed in The Boston Globe on July 25, 2015, calling for stricter gun control laws. In addition to regulating who can sell guns, O’Malley’s policy vision included “banning the sale of assault weapons, increasing inspections, and establishing a national gun registry to help law enforcement track down dangerous criminals.”[70]
  • In an email describing his gun control platform on June 19, 2015, O'Malley declared, "I proudly hold an F rating from the NRA, and when I worked to pass gun control in Maryland, the NRA threatened me with legal action, but I never backed down." After calling the string of mass shootings in America "a national crisis," O'Malley stated he wanted to institute a ban against assault weapons, make background checks more stringent and limit straw-buying.[71]
  • O'Malley signed Senate Bill 281 - Firearm Safety Act of 2013, which, among other measures, defined and placed restrictions on "assault weapons" and ammunition and required gun owners to report the loss or theft of a firearm.[72]
Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
  • During the fourth Democratic presidential primary debate on January 17, 2016, Martin O'Malley talked about government surveillance, privacy and security: “I believe whether it's a back door or a front door that the American principle of law should still hold that our federal government should have to get a warrant, whether they want to come through the back door or your front door. And I also agree, Lester, with Benjamin Franklin, who said, no people should ever give up their privacy or their freedoms in a promise for security. So we're a collaborative people. We need collaborative leadership here with Silicon Valley and other bright people in my own state of Maryland and around the NSA that can actually figure this out. But there are certain immutable principles that will not become antique things in our country so long as we defend our country and its values and its freedoms. And one of those things is our right to be secure in our homes, and our right to expect that our federal government should have to get a warrant. I also want to the say that while we've made some progress on the Patriot Act, I do believe that we need an adversarial court system there. We need a public advocate. We need to develop jurisprudence so that we can develop a body of law that protects the privacy of Americans in the information and digital age.”[73]
  • Speaking at an Iowa Caucus Consortium event on July 24, 2015, O'Malley said law enforcement officers should get a warrant before accessing digital evidence.[74]
Crime and justice
  • On December 3, 2015, Martin O'Malley said he supported an independent inquiry into how the Chicago Police Department handled the shooting death of Laquan McDonald. "One of the most important things that we have in any society is the relationship and trust that must exist between people and their government, between people and especially their police departments, and so I think that given the questions that have arisen, that yes, indeed, an independent investigation is called for,” O’Malley said.[75]
  • O'Malley sought to distinguish himself from Ben Carson and Bernie Sanders who all appeared at a forum on criminal justice and race relations on November 21, 2015, saying, “While the other two candidates will talk about things we should do in criminal justice reform, I have actually done them. Every day we worked to improve policing-community relations and, in fact, we did. When we found things that work like drug treatment and civilian review, we have made them stronger and did more of it. When we found things that did not work like the death penalty that did not work, we stopped doing it and abolished it.”[76]
  • On August 4, 2015, O'Malley said he wanted to abolish the death penalty at the federal level, but declined to directly comment on calls to execute Dylann Roof, the alleged perpetrator of the Charleston church shooting. “I don’t for a second pretend that this is an easy issue. It’s not. But I do know that there’s a difference between criminal justice policies that work to save lives and redeem lives, and policies that don’t work,” O’Malley said.[77]
  • In 2013, O'Malley signed a bill that repealed the death penalty in Maryland.[78]
Black Lives Matter movement

Netroots Nation

  • At the debate, on October 13, 2015,Martin O'Malley praised Black Lives Matter. O'Malley said, "[T]he point that the Black Lives Matter movement is making is a very, very legitimate and serious point, and that is that as a nation we have undervalued the lives of black lives, people of color. When I ran for Mayor of Baltimore -- and we were burying over 350 young men ever single year, mostly young, and poor, and black, and I said to our legislature, at the time when I appeared in front of them as a mayor, that if we were burying white, young, poor men in these number we would be marching in the streets and there would be a different reaction. Black lives matter, and we have a lot of work to do to reform our criminal justice system, and to address race relations in our country.”[79]
  • While speaking at the 2015 Netroots Nation conference on July 18, 2015, O'Malley was interrupted by activists from the Black Lives Matter movement.[80] Tia Oso, a national organizer for Black Alliance for Just Immigration, took to the stage and demanded a microphone to "shift the focus of the program" from immigration to racial justice.[81] Oso said, "We are going to hold this space and acknowledge the names of black women who have died in police custody, and then Governor O’Malley we do have questions for you! As leader of this country will you advance an agenda that will dismantle structural racism in this country?”
  • Demonstrators began to chant the names of black victims who died in police custody. O'Malley responded, "This issue is so important. Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter."
  • Activists reacted negatively to O'Malley's statement and heckled him. One proclaimed, "Do not generalize this!"[80]
  • Before leaving the stage, O'Malley attempted to offer at least one policy proposal. "I believe every police department in America should have to report in an open and transparent and timely way all police-involved shootings, all discourtesy complaints and all brutality complaints," O'Malley said.[80]

Apology

  • Later in the day, O'Malley participated in an interview on "This Week in Blackness" where he addressed his response to the protesters. "That was a mistake on my part and I meant no disrespect. I did not mean to be insensitive in any way or to communicate that I did not understand the tremendous passion, commitment and feeling and depth of feeling that all of us should be attaching to this issue," he said.[82][83]
Territories
  • While campaigning in Puerto Rico on August 1, 2015, Martin O'Malley said of the island's debt crisis, "Right now, the people of Puerto Rico ... are being treated very unjustly by forces on the mainland, forces on Wall Street and the intransigence of this Republican Congress in taking action to restore simple bankruptcy protections," he said. While O’Malley did not comment on the question of Puerto Rican statehood, the Associated Press reported that “he would fight for equal treatment for the territory, which he noted receives lower Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates compared with the mainland.”[84]

Natural resources

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Natural resources
Energy development
  • While campaigning in Iowa on January 23, 2016, Martin O'Malley expressed conditional support for fracking. “Whether or not natural gas is a bridge to a cleaner energy future depends on whether or not we have a national policy to move us to that cleaner future. And I think that a big part of it is having much higher standards in place for protecting the air and the land and the water in the course of the extraction that's already going on in our country,” O’Malley told reporters. He released the following statement on January 24, 2016, to clarify his position: “Ending our reliance on fossil fuels by 2050 is ambitious, and throughout the transition, I support stronger regulation on the fracking that is happening right now. We need a zero-tolerance approach to methane emissions from fracking in the meantime."[85]
  • In November 2014, O'Malley said he was "ready to allow drilling for natural gas in Western Maryland, but only if energy companies adhere to some of the most restrictive public health and environmental safeguards in the country," according to The Washington Post.[86]
  • In a June 2010 Facebook post, O'Malley stated his opposition to offshore drilling.[87]
Keystone XL Pipeline
  • In November 2014, Martin O'Malley expressed his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline. He posted the following comments on his Facebook page: "It's time to reject the either/or and smallball choices facing us on energy. I hope the Senate rejects ‪#‎KeystoneXL‬ -- it's too much carbon dioxide, and not nearly enough jobs (only about 50 jobs permanent once construction is finished)."[88][89]
Climate change
  • In an interview with the New Republic published on January 25, 2016, Martin O'Malley criticized Hillary Clinton’s climate change policy for not being aggressive enough. “Secretary Clinton’s plan can most kindly be summed up as a voluntary solar panel plan for residences. Under her plan the planet would literally burn up. Her approach is much more incremental,” said O’Malley.[90]
  • On December 8, 2015, O'Malley wrote a brief op-ed for the Concord Monitor on climate change and clean energy. He said, “I’m the first candidate – and I hope not the last – to put forward a plan to power our country with 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2050, while ending our reliance on fossil fuels. … As president, I will not only fully implement the Clean Power Plan, I will go further, setting targets for reducing emissions from other large sources and adopting a zero-tolerance policy for methane leaks from current oil and gas production. I will also fight for a cap or tax on carbon emissions and to set a national, cross-sector Renewable Electricity Standard so our nation is powered by 100 percent clean energy within 35 years." He continued, "With so much at stake [at the U.N. Climate Change Conference], it is disappointing that the other Democratic candidates for president haven’t released similarly ambitious plans. Secretary Clinton’s clean energy plan appears to be based on the voluntary adoption of solar panels. And Sen. Sanders’s plan, which he finally released Monday, appears to include weak carbon pollution reduction targets.”[91]
  • On October 16, 2015, O'Malley expressed his support for investigating ExxonMobil “for concealing research on fossil fuels’ contribution to climate change,” according to The Huffington Post. O’Malley posted the following tweet: “We held tobacco companies responsible for lying about cancer. Let’s do the same for oil companies & climate change.”[92]
  • In June 2014, O'Malley supported a rule created by the Environmental Protection Agency requiring states to reduce carbon emissions 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. He said, "Climate change is transforming the world in profound ways that continue to evolve. We still have time to become great ancestors, and we have a moral obligation to our children and our grandchildren to act now while we can make a difference. I congratulate and thank President Obama for his bold leadership. Today’s announcement is the first federal regulatory action to set carbon pollution standards for existing fossil fuel-fired power plants, the largest single source of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions."[93]
  • In April 2007, O'Malley signed the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). According to Maryland's Department of the Environment, "RGGI is the first cap-and-trade program to control carbon dioxide emissions in the United States. The program is aimed primarily at reducing carbon dioxide pollution through a mandatory emissions cap on the electric generating sector, coupled with a market-based trading program to achieve the lowest possible compliance costs through energy efficiency."[94]
  • After signing the RGGI, O'Malley said, "I am proud that Maryland is joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which will protect and preserve our communities for future generations. The fight to prevent global warming crosses state lines, and Maryland is proud to join its neighbors in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while protecting our electric industry."[94]
  • In April 2007, O’Malley "signed an Executive Order that establishes a Climate Change Commission charged with collectively developing an action plan to address the drivers and causes of climate change, prepare for the likely consequences and impacts of climate change to Maryland with and establish firm benchmarks and timetables for implementing the Commission’s recommendations."[94]
  • After signing the executive order, O'Malley said, "Protecting our communities from climate change is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue – it is a Maryland issue. This Executive Order charts a path for the future – one in which we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and work to prevent sea level rise and coastal flooding."[94]
Environmental Protection Agency

Healthcare

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Healthcare
  • On August 7, 2015, Martin O'Malley said that healthcare reform must “eliminate the profit motive” for hospital CEOs who “keep their hospitals solvent by keepings the beds filled.” O’Malley pointed to a program he developed while governor of Maryland to prevent “avoidable hospital readmissions.”[96]
  • In April 2014, O'Malley replaced the failed Maryland Health Connection with "the technology Connecticut developed for its Obamacare website, AccessHealthCT."[98]

Immigration

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Immigration
  • In his prepared remarks for his speech at the Nevada Democratic Party Dinner on January 6 2016, Martin O'Malley criticized the raid on persons from Central America residing in the U.S. without legal permission. He said, “The answer is not to deport mothers and children who walked thousands of miles to ask for refuge. The answer is to extend [Temporary Protective Status] to those who have fled from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.”[99]
  • O'Malley tweeted on December 24, 2015, his opposition to a planned raid on persons from Central America residing in the U.S. without legal permission, writing, “A Christmas Refugee Roundup sounds like something @realDonaldTrump would concoct. Remember: Jesus was a refugee child who fled death gangs.”[100]
  • On December 15, 2015, O'Malley spoke with “two Bangladeshi men who were recently released from immigrant detention after taking part in a hunger strike that began on Thanksgiving” before speaking at the National Immigrant Integration Conference. During his speech, he said, “Let us not only end family detention, but all immigrant detention—unless there is a grave risk to our national security. These men who were denied due process in the growing detention camps we have across the country.” In the same speech he also highlighted his record on immigration as governor of Maryland. He noted Maryland’s effort to protect children fleeing violence in Central America, he said, “There were some governors around the country who spoke of these children as if they were a swarm of invading jackrabbits. We took a different approach in Maryland. I said that we would care for these refugee children.” [101]
  • On December 10, 2015, O'Malley visited the Tent City Jail in Arizona, an outdoor jail facility, where he advocated for the “end to immigrant detention and internment camps” in the U.S. According to Latin Times, O’Malley also implied that unlike him, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders "pander to Latinos, only speaking to the issues of immigrant rights in Latino states like Nevada, but not in states not Iowa and and [sic] New Hampshire.”
  • O'Malley’s senior adviser on immigration, Gabriela Domenzain, said on December 3, 2015, that O’Malley supported the hunger strike of more than 150 asylum-seekers demonstrating to bring attention to the immigrant detention system. "This is a symptom of the larger problem, which is that we are inhumanely detaining, without due process, thousands of immigrants that should not be in those conditions,” Domenzain said.[102]
  • At the second Democratic primary debate, on November 14, 2015, O'Malley voiced his support for comprehensive immigration reform that included a path to citizenship for those in the country without documentation. He said "[W]e've actually been focusing on border security to the exclusion of talking about comprehensive immigration reform. In fact, if more border security and these -- and more and more deportations were going to bring our Republican brothers and sisters to the table, it would have happened long ago. The fact of the matter is -- and let's say it in our debate, because you'll never hear this from that immigration-bashing carnival barker, Donald Trump, the truth of the matter is... The truth of the matter is, net immigration from Mexico last year was zero. Fact check me. Go ahead. Check it out. But the truth of the matter is, if we want wages to go up, we've got to get 11 million of our neighbors out of off the book shadow economy, and into the full light of an American economy. That's what our parents and grandparents always did. That's what we need to do as a nation. Yes, we must protect our borders. But there is no substitute for having comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for 11 million people, many of whom have known no other country but the United States of America. Our symbol is the Statue of Liberty. It is not a barbed wire fence."[103]
  • O'Malley opposed the Obama administration's decision to deport children who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in August 2014. The administration then claimed that O'Malley refused "to open a group facility in Westminster, Md., for some of the Central American children after saying that they should not be sent back to their home countries," according to Politico. O'Malley called the administration's comments political "spin" and clarified that "he was warning the White House against that specific location because it had some 'hateful graffiti' outside and that there were 'more hospitable settings' available."[104]
  • When asked about immigration reform in 2013, O'Malley said, "There is such a compelling business case. Set aside compassion, set aside justice, set aside fairness, if you must. And if you go only on the business case for immigration reform, the United States of America is losing money and jobs every day by not having fixed our archaic immigration policies. This is low-hanging fruit, if you will. It’s not what other countries are doing to us. It’s what we’re not doing for ourselves, in recognizing the tremendous power and the economic imperative of immigration reform."[25]
  • In May 2011, O'Malley signed a bill that extended "in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants at the state’s colleges and universities," according to The Washington Post.[105]

Education

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Education
  • During a speech at the Iowa Technology Town Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 7, 2015, Martin O'Malley discussed the importance of STEM education. He said, “We need to put in place career and technical education in high school that actually give kids the skills they need to be innovators, to be entrepreneurs and actually fill the jobs being created in today’s knowledge-based and information economy.”[106]
  • Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, accused O'Malley’s administration on November 4, 2015, of “cheating” on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams in his state by excluding some students with special needs. Hogan said, “The administration was cheating on the scores. They weren’t counting disabled, disadvantaged kids as other states were. This was the final report card for the O’Malley administration on education.”[107]
  • In July 2015, O'Malley advocated for freezing tuition rates at public colleges and improving Pell Grants and federal work-study programs. O'Malley's proposed program would seek to allow public college students to graduate debt-free.[108]
  • During his 2010 campaign for re-election, O'Malley expressed his continued support for charter schools as part of his plan for school reform.[109]
  • While serving as Maryland governor in June 2009, O'Malley worked with State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative.[110]
  • During his 1999 campaign for Mayor of Baltimore, O'Malley said, "I am not in favor of vouchers at this point. My focus is on the early years, expanding pre-K and after-school programs and finding money for mandatory summer school."[111]

Abortion

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Abortion
  • Martin O'Malley “pinked out” his Twitter photo as a sign of solidarity with Planned Parenthood during the questioning of Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards at a House hearing on September 29, 2015. He also tweeted, “Today, and everyday, I #StandWithPP. We cannot let Republicans continue this attack that endangers health care for millions. #PinkOut.”[112][113]
  • On September 2, 2015, O'Malley sent the following tweet about protecting funding for Planned Parenthood:
    Martin O'Malley's tweet from August 3, 2015
  • In 2002, Martin O'Malley's spokesman Stephen J. Kearney explained O'Malley's "pro-choice" stance. He said, "In the words of President Clinton, he believes abortions should be safe, legal and rare."[114]

Gay rights

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Gay rights
  • On July 23, 2015, Martin O'Malley became the first presidential candidate to endorse the Equality Act, an anti-discrimination bill protecting LGBT individuals. O’Malley tweeted, “I proudly support the new LGBT civil rights bill – we must continue to fight for a more open, respectful & inclusive nation."[115]
  • On June 26, 2015, Martin O'Malley tweeted he appreciated that Maryland already recognized same-sex marriage, writing, "So grateful to the people of MD for leading the way on this important issue of human dignity and equality under the law."[116]
  • In March 2012, O'Malley signed a bill allowing same-sex marriage in Maryland. Before signing the bill he said, "The way forward is always found through greater respect for the equal rights of all. If there is a thread that unites all of our work here together, it is the thread of human dignity. … Let's sign the bill."[117]

Civil liberties

See also: Martin O'Malley presidential campaign, 2016/Civil liberties
  • After meeting with marijuana regulators in Colorado in September 2015, Martin O'Malley said he would “watch” and “learn” from what happened in Colorado and Washington before deciding whether he would support the federal legalization of marijuana.[118]
  • On August 4, 2015, O'Malley called for a constitutional amendment to protect voting rights against Republican efforts "to suppress the vote." In an email to supporters, O’Malley wrote, “Last year, Republican state legislators in 29 states introduced more than 80 restrictive bills to require a photo ID, make voter registration harder, or reduce early voting. We know why they're doing this: because Americans without a photo ID are disproportionately low-income, disabled, minority — and Democratic."[119]

Urban policy

  • In December 2015, Martin O'Malley released "A New Agenda for American Cities and Communities," an urban improvement platform focused on infrastructure, economic development and affordable housing.[120][121] Under this plan, O'Malley made the following proposals:
    • Support public transportation by funding the Highway Trust Fund through modernizing fees.[121]
    • Reform the federal funding formulas to increase support for transit investment.[121]
    • Double the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants, the New Starts and Small Starts program and other programs supporting locally-directed transit projects.[121]
    • Double the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program to provide federal credit assistance for regional projects.[121]
    • Increase funding for the Community Development Block Grant.[121]
    • Assist in the creation of 750,000 jobs by making permanent the New Market Tax Credits program.[121]
    • Expand the Rental Assistance Demonstration, which "uses private investment dollars to preserve at-risk public housing—leveraging $19 in outside capital for every federal dollar, while creating jobs and better homes across the country."[121]
    • Support local credits unions and community banks that provide banking services for low-income families.[121]
    • Implement pay-for-performance reforms of electric utilities.[121]
    • Encourage new energy sources by removing regulations barring customers from purchasing the power they want.[121]
    • Support state and local government programs to improve urban infrastructure and clean energy needs with federal "green dollars."[121]
    • Retrofit federal buildings to improve energy efficiency and apply green standards on new constructions.[121]
    • Deploy solar energy to every viable affordable housing development.[121]
    • Enforce the Fair Housing Act to "foster strong and inclusive communities."[121]
    • Double the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and increase funding for the Homes Investment Partnerships Program.[121]
    • Provide rental assistance to low-income families by expanding Housing Choice Vouchers.[121]
    • Raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour so wage workers can rely less on rental assistance.[121]
    • Strengthen the enforcement power of the National Labor Review Board and enforce workplace standards.[121]
    • Advocate for the FAMILY Act to allow "all parents —both men and women, gay and straight, married and single—are able to take at least 12 weeks of leave, with pay, in order to care for newborn children or other loved ones."[121]
  • In September 2015, O'Malley defended his use of a "zero tolerance" enforcement policy while mayor of Baltimore because it decreased the number of open-air drug markets. He said, "People wanted them shut down, so that’s what we did. Yes, enforcement levels spiked. But we saved about 1,000 lives, probably.”[122]
  • In May 2015, O'Malley criticized U.S. Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) for saying liberal policies had failed cities and dismissed the accusation that a $130 million grant to Baltimore had been ineffective. "Please, Speaker Boehner and his crocodile tears about the $130 million. That is a spit in the bucket compared to what we need to do as a nation to rebuild our country. And America's cities are the heart of our country. We need an agenda for American cities. We need to stop ignoring especially people of color and acting like they're disposable citizens in this nation. That's not how our economy's supposed to work. It's not how our country works," O'Malley said.[123]
  • In his 2014 fiscal budget for Maryland, O'Malley allocated $25 million to affordable housing programs.[124]
  • According to The Washington Post, crime rates in Baltimore, Maryland, dropped by 48 percent from 1999 to 2009, the period of years that O'Malley served as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland. During O'Malley's tenure, arrest rates also rose as the city adopted the "zero tolerance" approach used in other major cities like New York City. The Washington Post found, however, that the overall drop in crime was comparable to what other cities experienced, and it was unclear whether Baltimore's decrease mirrored a national trend or was the product of O'Malley's policies.[125]
  • In 2011, O'Malley supported the Purple Line, a proposed railway to connect and expand existing rail lines in the Maryland suburbs to Washington, D.C. "In order to create jobs, a modern economy requires modern investments. The Federal Transit Administration’s approval today will help us continue to create jobs and expand rapid and reliable transportation in the Washington suburban region. The Purple Line will connect citizens to jobs and economic opportunities throughout the region," O'Malley said in a statement announcing the preliminary engineering phase of the line.[126]


Rural policy

  • In a June 29, 2015, op-ed for The Des Moines Register, Martin O'Malley defended the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and other incentives which "drive investments in clean energy and keep renewable fuels competitive."[127] A week later, O'Malley toured the Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ethanol plant and again supported the RFS, saying, "We should keep these standards always moving up. When you do things like reversing or lowering standards, it sends tremors through the marketplace and sends word to investors that this is an unstable future."[128]
  • In April 2007, O'Malley signed the Highlands Action Program charter to establish a regional partnership seeking "to preserve the ecological and cultural resources of the Mid-Atlantic Appalachian Highlands." The charter intended to connect all levels of government, non-governmental organizations and communities to improve economic and ecological outcomes in Appalachia and preserve the cultural heritage of the region.[129]
  • O'Malley served on the Appalachian Regional Commission from 2007 to 2015.[130]

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Martin + O'Malley + 2016


Martin O'Malley 2016 News Feed

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 ABC News, "Martin O'Malley Suspends Presidential Campaign," February 1, 2016
  2. ↑ The New York Times, "Martin O’Malley Announces Presidential Campaign, Pushing Image of Vitality," May 30, 2015
  3. ↑ Maryland.gov, "Governor," accessed February 4, 2015
  4. ↑ MSNBC.com, "Maryland’s Martin O’Malley ‘very seriously’ considering 2016 bid," accessed February 4, 2015
  5. ↑ Center on the American Governor, "The Governors Who Became President: Brief Biographies," accessed October 30, 2013
  6. ↑ Crowdpac, "2016 Presidential Election," accessed July 27, 2015
  7. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," March 9, 2023
  8. ↑ The Washington Post, "Do I need an ID to vote? A look at the laws in all 50 states," October 27, 2014
  9. ↑ Concord Monitor, "My Turn: A clean-energy future is within our reach," December 8 2015
  10. ↑ The Washington Times, "Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley slam Pfizer-Allergan merger," November 23, 2015
  11. ↑ The Baltimore Sun "O'Malley's Legacy Marked by Social Gains, Higher Taxes" Jan.19, 2015
  12. ↑ Washington Post "Tax and fee increases in Maryland from 2007 to 2014" Oct. 11, 2014
  13. ↑ Maryland.gov, "House Bill 1515," accessed March 11, 2015
  14. ↑ The Washington Post, "The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 17, 2016
  15. ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
  16. ↑ 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 16.11 16.12 16.13 16.14 16.15 16.16 Martin O'Malley for President, "Protecting the American Dream from Another Wall Street Crash," accessed December 3, 2015
  17. ↑ Business Insider, "Presidential candidate Martin O'Malley releases scathing open letter to Wall Street: 'I will not let up on you,'" July 9, 2015
  18. ↑ Concord Monitor, "My Turn: A clean-energy future is within our reach," December 8 2015
  19. ↑ Washington Times, “Larry Hogan vows fight against Martin O’Malley anti-farm regulations," December 8, 2014
  20. ↑ CBS News, "Martin ​O'Malley to roll out trade policy," October 9, 2015
  21. ↑ Martin O'Malley for President, "Trade Policy," October 9, 2015
  22. ↑ The Washington Post, "O’Malley leaves Saturday on weeklong trip to France and Ireland," accessed March 11, 2015
  23. ↑ Maryland Reporter, “Back from India with deals in hand, O’Malley plans Brazil trip next year," December 12, 2011
  24. ↑ The Washington Post, "The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 17, 2016
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 National Journal, “Is It Time to Take Martin O’Malley Seriously?" June 20, 2013
  26. ↑ Concord Monitor, "My Turn: No child should go hungry in America," November 26, 2015
  27. ↑ Martin O'Malley for President, "Expanding Social Security so Americans can retire with dignity," accessed August 21, 2015
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 DHR.Maryland.gov, “Governor O’Malley Announces Record Number of Marylanders are Leaving Welfare for Work," December 23, 2013
  29. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Martin O'Malley Rolls Out A 'Worker Bill Of Rights'," January 14, 2016
  30. ↑ Adweek, "Martin O’Malley Calls on Other Candidates to Stop Advertising on WMUR, Other Hearst Stations," December 10, 2015
  31. ↑ The Gazette, "America succeeds when women and families succeed," September 14, 2015
  32. ↑ Iowa City Press-Citizen, "O'Malley: Time to grow labor movement," September 7, 2015
  33. ↑ CBS News, "Martin ​O'Malley proposes national service expansion," September 2, 2015
  34. ↑ Martin O'Malley for President, "National Service: A Cornerstone of American Citizenship," accessed September 3, 2015
  35. ↑ Maryland.gov, “Senate Bill 422 Public School Employees – Collective Bargaining – Representation Fees," accessed March 11, 2015
  36. ↑ Iowa Public Radio, "Martin O'Malley on Minimum Wage, Iran, and ISIS," July 30, 2015
  37. ↑ ABC News, "'This Week' Transcript: Former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley," accessed April 10, 2015
  38. ↑ Military Times, "O'Malley offers VA reform plans on eve of Veterans Day," November 9, 2015
  39. ↑ O'Malley For President, "GOVERNOR O’MALLEY’S PLAN FOR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES," accessed November 9. 2015
  40. ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
  41. ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
  42. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley: America needs more focus on homeland security efforts," December 7, 2015
  43. ↑ CNN "Gov. Martin O'Malley against a no-fly in Syria: "Secretary Clinton is always quick for the military intervention," October 11, 2015
  44. ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Martin O'Malley: Climate Change Created ISIS," July 21, 2015
  45. ↑ Facebook, "Martin O'Malley," accessed March 11, 2015
  46. ↑ The New York Times, "Martin O’Malley, a Hillary Clinton Loyalist, Is Now a Potential 2016 Alternative," accessed March 11, 2015
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 The Washington Post, “O’Malley thanks Obama for ending Iraq war," December 16, 2011
  48. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley talks foreign policy in West Des Moines," October 31, 2015
  49. ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
  50. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Martin O'Malley: U.S. Should Take In 65,000 Syrian Refugees," September 4, 2015
  51. ↑ Breitbart, "MARTIN O’MALLEY TO OBAMA: 10,000 SYRIAN REFUGEES NOT ENOUGH," September 16, 2015
  52. ↑ CNN, "U.N. should take responsibility for Haiti's deadly cholera epidemic," August 17, 2015
  53. ↑ Youtube, "Gov. O'Malley: 'Israel, I believe, has a right to defend itself'," September 5, 2014
  54. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley hits Clinton on death penalty, changing views," October 30, 2015
  55. ↑ Capital Gazette, “O'Malley criticizes Supreme Court ruling against unions in home health care worker case," June 30, 2014
  56. ↑ Politico, “Hillary Clinton blasts Hobby Lobby ruling," July 2, 2014
  57. ↑ Maryland.gov, "Judge Barbera biography," accessed March 12, 2015
  58. ↑ Maryland.gov, "Official biography of Justice Adkins," accessed March 11, 2015
  59. ↑ Daily Caller, "Martin O’Malley Hints At Supporting Electoral College Abolishment," July 29, 2015
  60. ↑ The New York Times, "Martin O’Malley Urges Public Financing of Congressional Campaign," October 1, 2015
  61. ↑ Martin O'Malley for President, "Restoring Our Americna Democracy," accessed October 2, 2015
  62. ↑ Bloomberg Politics, "Democrats Turn Against Religious Freedom Laws. Voters Don't Agree With Them," accessed April 15, 2015
  63. ↑ The Washington Post, "3rd Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," December 19, 2015
  64. ↑ Foster's Daily Democrat, "Martin O'Malley says he'll take on NRA," November 30, 2015
  65. ↑ WMUR.com, "O’Malley rolls out 7 proposed anti-gun violence executive actions," November 3, 2015
  66. ↑ O'Malley for President, "Preventing and Reducing Gun Violence," accessed November 4, 2015
  67. ↑ Huffington Post, "Martin O'Malley Calls For Gun Control Outside Republican Debate," October 28, 2015
  68. ↑ CNN, "Martin O'Malley: My promise on guns, NRA," September 14, 2015
  69. ↑ BuzzFeed, "O’Malley Calls For Raising The Age Of Legal Handgun Possession To 21," September 14, 2015
  70. ↑ The Boston Globe, "Congress needs to act on gun reform," July 25, 2015
  71. ↑ The Washington Examiner, "O'Malley: 'I'm pissed,' calls for gun control, NRA silencing," June 19, 2015
  72. ↑ Maryland.gov, “Senate Bill 281 - Firearm Safety Act of 2013," accessed March 11, 2015
  73. ↑ The Washington Post, "The 4th Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said what and what it meant," January 17, 2016
  74. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O’Malley: Warrants best for getting digital evidence," July 24, 2015
  75. ↑ Progress Illinois, "Democratic Presidential Candidate O'Malley Backs Federal Probe Into Chicago Police Department," December 3, 2015
  76. ↑ The Post and Courier, "Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley talk criminal justice in Columbia," November 21, 2015
  77. ↑ The State, "Democrat Martin O’Malley touts criminal justice reforms on first SC stop," August 4, 2015
  78. ↑ Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley signs death penalty repeal," March 2, 2013
  79. ↑ The Washington Post, "The CNN Democratic debate transcript, annotated," October 13, 2015
  80. ↑ 80.0 80.1 80.2 TIME, "Sanders and O’Malley Stumble During Black Lives Matter Protest (Video)," July 18, 2015
  81. ↑ Mic, "I Am the Black Woman Who Interrupted the Netroots Presidential Town Hall, and This Is Why," July 21, 2015
  82. ↑ CNN, "O'Malley apologizes for saying 'all lives matter' at liberal conference," July 19, 2015
  83. ↑ YouTube, "O'Malley on TWiB! Nation," July 18, 2015
  84. ↑ ABC News, "US Presidential Hopeful Martin O'Malley Visits Puerto Rico," August 1, 2015
  85. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley supports fracking, but with tough regulations," January 24, 2016
  86. ↑ The Washington Post, “O’Malley says he is ready to allow ‘fracking’ in Western Maryland, with strict safeguards," November 25, 2014
  87. ↑ Facebook, “Martin O'Malley," June 10, 2010
  88. ↑ The Washington Post, “O’Malley voices opposition to Keystone pipeline in posts on Facebook and Twitter," November 17, 2014
  89. ↑ Facebook, "Martin O'Malley," accessed March 11, 2015
  90. ↑ New Republic, "Martin O’Malley Says Hillary Clinton Will Let the Planet 'Literally Burn Up,'" January 25, 2015
  91. ↑ Concord Monitor, "My Turn: A clean-energy future is within our reach," December 8 2015
  92. ↑ Huffington Post, "Democratic Presidential Contenders Join Calls To Investigate Exxon," October 18, 2015
  93. ↑ WAMU.org, “O'Malley Applauds EPA Carbon Emission Cuts, Says Maryland Ahead Of Curve," June 3, 2014
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 94.2 94.3 Governor of Maryland, “Governor Martin O’Malley Signs Greenhouse Gas Agreement, Climate Change Executive Order," April 20, 2007
  95. ↑ Baltimore Sun, “O'Malley lobbies EPA to ease cruise ship pollution rule," June 16, 2013
  96. ↑ Globe Gazette, "O'Malley says hospital CEOs help drive up health care costs," August 7, 2015
  97. ↑ New York Times, “Most Governors Refuse to Set Up Health Exchanges," December 14, 2012
  98. ↑ Connecticut Mirror, “Maryland scraps Obamacare website for Connecticut model," April 1, 2014
  99. ↑ Latin Times, "Martin O’Malley Urges Obama To Give Central American Migrants Legal Status Instead Of Deporting Them," January 7, 2016
  100. ↑ The Hill, "O’Malley: Jesus was a refugee," December 24, 2015
  101. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Martin O'Malley Meets With Hunger Strikers Ahead Of Immigration Speech," December 15, 2015
  102. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Bernie Sanders, Martin O'Malley Campaigns Support Immigrant Hunger Strike," December 3, 2015
  103. ↑ The Washington Post, "The CBS Democratic debate transcript, annotated," November 15, 2015
  104. ↑ Politico, “Martin O’Malley slams White House ‘spin’," August 6, 2014
  105. ↑ The Washington Post, “Maryland immigrant tuition bill signed into law by Gov. O’Malley," May 10, 2011
  106. ↑ The Gazette, "Fiorina, O'Malley agree education vital to innovation, disagree on federal role," December 7, 2015
  107. ↑ The Washington Post, "Hogan: O’Malley ‘cheated’ on national student tests," November 4, 2015
  108. ↑ Washington Post, "Martin O’Malley racked up $339,200 in loans putting two kids through college. He wants to lighten the load for others.," July 8, 2015
  109. ↑ Maryland Newsline, "Nuanced Differences Separate Ehrlich, O'Malley on Charter Schools," October 15, 2010
  110. ↑ SOMD.com, "Md. Joins 49 States in Common Core State Standards Initiative," June 2, 2009
  111. ↑ Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley opposes vouchers," September 23, 1999
  112. ↑ KTLA, "Supporters Rally Across the County as Planned Parenthood President Grilled at House Hearing," September 29, 2015
  113. ↑ Twitter, "Martin O'Malley," accessed September 29, 2015
  114. ↑ Baltimore Sun, “O'Malley 'pro-choice,' aide says," April 5, 2002
  115. ↑ Washington Blade, "O’Malley first 2016 candidate to endorse Equality Act," July 23, 2015
  116. ↑ Twitter, "Martin O'Malley," June 26, 2015
  117. ↑ Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley signs same-sex marriage bill," March 1, 2012
  118. ↑ The Denver Post, "Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley talks marijuana in 2016 campaign," September 17, 2015
  119. ↑ CNN, "First on CNN: Martin O'Malley to call for a voting rights constitutional amendment," August 4, 2015
  120. ↑ Next City, "O’Malley to Unveil “New Agenda for American Cities and Communities," December 4, 2015
  121. ↑ 121.00 121.01 121.02 121.03 121.04 121.05 121.06 121.07 121.08 121.09 121.10 121.11 121.12 121.13 121.14 121.15 121.16 121.17 121.18 121.19 Martin O'Malley for President, "A New Agenda for American Cities and Communities," accessed January 26, 2016
  122. ↑ ThinkProgress, "Amid Protests, Martin O’Malley Defends ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policing," September 20, 2015
  123. ↑ NBC News, "Meet the Press Transcript - May 3, 2015," May 6, 2015
  124. ↑ The Baltimore Sun, "O'Malley proposes $25 million for affordable housing in capital budget," January 11, 2013
  125. ↑ The Washington Post, "O’Malley’s claim about crime rates in Baltimore," April 28, 2015
  126. ↑ Maryland.gov, "Press Release Archive," accessed January 27, 2016
  127. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O’Malley: We can get all our energy from renewables," June 29, 2015
  128. ↑ The Des Moines Register, "O'Malley: EPA should back off lowering ethanol requirement," July 3, 2015
  129. ↑ PR Newswire, "Governors Rendell, Kaine, Manchin, O'Malley Sign 'Highlands Action Program' Charter," April 12, 2007
  130. ↑ Maryland Manual, "Governor Martin J. O'Malley," accessed January 13, 2016
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