WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D) decision to retire after five terms in office set off a wave of speculation about which of the myriad Maryland Democrats would run to replace her. On the top of that list was the state's former Gov. Martin O'Malley, who is eying another run for office and could, theoretically, decide that taking on Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination is simply too tough a task.
Alas, on Tuesday morning, O’Malley released a statement fully ruling out a run in the 2016 Maryland Senate race.
“Senator Mikulski has done an outstanding job representing Maryland in the U.S. Senate for nearly 30 years," he said. "I am hopeful and confident that very capable public servants with a desire to serve in the Senate will step up as candidates for this important office. I will not be one of them.”
With O'Malley absent from the contest, the Democratic primary still stays wide open. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is likely to make a run, an aide told the Washington Post. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has been floated as a candidate as well, as have Reps. Donna Edwards, Elijah Cummings and John Sarbanes and U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez.
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