Failing to garner more than single digit support in the 2016 presidential contest, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has just about stretched his budget to the breaking point. More from The Washington Post:
The Democratic hopeful this week began asking the roughly 30 staffers at his Baltimore headquarters to redeploy to Iowa and elsewhere, a tacit acknowledgment that he will need a surprisingly strong showing in the first caucus state to stay in the race.
And the campaign is now planning to seek public matching funds, a move that could help pay bills in the short term but undercut the candidate’s ability to compete once the voting begins. In recent cycles, major candidates have opted out of the antiquated matching system because it imposes state-by-state spending caps now considered impractical.
As the piece goes on to explain, for O'Malley to have any hope in staying in the race, he has to fair well in the Iowa caucus - much easier said than done.
The election process this year has been anything but kind to O'Malley. Because the Democratic National Committee scheduled just a half dozen debates, the governor has had limited opportunity to introduce himself to the American public. Unlike Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, his name is not one most voters recognize. As for the two debates that have thus far aired, O'Malley failed to make much of an impression.
It's not like O'Malley had much of a record to flaunt anyway. To quote "Saturday Night Live," O'Malley did such a good job as the mayor of Baltimore that two TV shows were made as a result of his tenure: "Homicide" and "The Wire."