Former Maryland Governor O’Malley enters 2016 race

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley entered the Democratic presidential race on Saturday in a longshot challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton for the 2016 nomination, casting himself as a new generation leader who would rebuild the economy and reform Wall Street.

“I’m running for you,” he told a crowd of about 1,000 people in a populist message at Federal Hill Park in Baltimore, where he served as mayor before two terms as governor. O’Malley said he was drawn into the campaign “to rebuild the truth of the American dream for all Americans.”

Following his announcement, O’Malley promptly headed to Iowa, where he is seeking to become the primary alternative to Clinton in the leadoff caucus state. Before more than fifty people at a union hall in Davenport, he touted his executive experience and called for economic reforms, drawing enthusiastic applause.

“We are still in just as grave a danger of having Wall Street excesses wreck our economy again and there’s not a need for it. When wealth concentrates as it has, it also concentrates and collects power and we have to retake control of our own government,” said O’Malley, who has made frequent visits to Iowa in recent months.

O’Malley, who will appear in New Hampshire today, remains largely unknown in a field dominated by Clinton. Already in the race is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who could be O’Malley’s main rival for the support of the Democratic left.

The 52-year-old O’Malley has spoken often about the economic challenges facing the nation and said he would bring new leadership, progressive values and the ability to accomplish things.

But his record on criminal justice has been scrutinized in recent weeks after riots in Baltimore broke out following the death of an African-American man who died in police custody last month.

O’Malley was known for his tough-on-crime, “zero tolerance” policies that led to large numbers of arrests for minor offenses. Critics say it sowed distrust between police and the black community. Supporters note the overall decrease in violent crime during his tenure.

O’Malley could soon be joined in the Democratic field by former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, who plans to make an announcement next week.