MARTIN O’MALLEY of Maryland has been unanimously chosen by his fellow Democratic governors to chair the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), reinforcing the third generation Irish-American’s status as a rising star in the party.
O’Malley (47) defeated the Republican candidate Robert Ehrlich on November 2nd by a 14-point margin. Ehrlich had lost the governorship to O’Malley in 2006, and was beaten by him a second time after an often close race. Though Maryland is traditionally a Democratic state, the wide victory stood out in a year of historic Democratic losses.
DGA executive director Nathan Daschle said O’Malley’s re-election was “the crown jewel” of the party’s few victories this year. Bill Clinton and Bill Richardson of New Mexico used the chairmanship of the DGA to reach national prominence.
In his acceptance speech at the St Regis hotel in Washington, O’Malley promised that “Democratic governors will lead the way back to our party’s resurgence”.
As chairman of the association, O’Malley will be a frequent spokesman for Democrats on television, with responsibility for helping them to win back some of the five governors’ mansions they lost last month. His first challenge will arise in off-year gubernatorial contests in Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky – all Republican-leaning states – next year.
O’Malley and his wife, Katie Curran O’Malley, a Maryland state district judge, are frequent guests at the Irish embassy in Washington. O’Malley studied at the Catholic University of America and trained as a lawyer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. His cabinet director, Colm O’Comartun, is a UCD graduate.
Before becoming governor, O’Malley served six years as mayor of Baltimore, where he won praise for diminishing violent crime. As governor, he has concentrated on education. He was re-elected despite raising taxes to fund education and public services.