Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley Is Kind of a Badass // 2016 Looking Good

The Washington Post's John Wagner had an interesting article about Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley last Sunday that left Maryland Juice thinking our Guv'nah is kind of a badass.

The article focused on O'Malley's term as the head of the Democratic Governors Association. Indeed, MO'M (that's his nickname) was a natural pick to lead the Dems, given that he won re-election in a 2010 landslide, while Democrats around the nation were losing office. Wagner noted:

Whatever else one might think of Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s outspoken year as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, this much almost certainly will be true after Tuesday:

The bleeding has stopped....

O’Malley ascended to the helm of the DGA in December, a month after his party experienced a net loss of five governorships during a busier election year — and one his party was eager to move beyond.

In the months since, O’Malley has sought to transform the DGA chairmanship, with far sharper rhetoric aimed at Republicans, and he has seen his national profile rise as well...

Last month, Democrats claimed a squeaker of a win by West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) in a special election....

The Post also notes that MO'M is not just winning Governor's mansions for the Dems and launching a message machine against the Republicans nationally. He's also funding ballot initiatives in key states for Democrats:

In addition to the two races Tuesday that will round out O’Malley’s record as chairman, both parties are closely watching a high-profile ballot measure in Ohio. The involvement of the DGA — whose primary mission is to raise money and help Democrats get elected — is emblematic of O’Malley’s more aggressive approach....

The DGA, still smarting over Kasich’s defeat last year of then-Gov. Ted Strickland (D), announced a $150,000 contribution late last month to the union-backed “We Are Ohio” coalition leading the repeal effort.

A letter that accompanied the donation in Ohio said that “Governor Martin O’Malley and his colleagues in the DGA have always appreciated the contributions that the men and women of organized labor have made to our nation” and called the referendum “ground zero in the fight to protect the rights of workers....”

In the interview, O’Malley characterized 2011 as “a bit of a rebuilding year” for the DGA and cited as an accomplishment his efforts “to create a unifying brand” for a diverse group of Democratic governors based largely on job-creation efforts....

O’Malley’s colleagues are expected to elect him next month to serve a second term as DGA chairman....

Will Governor Martin O'Malley be the aggressive fighter and needle-moving strategist the Democrats need to succeed in 2016?  So far, so good....