Martin O'Malley Joins Race: 5 Takeaways

Martin O'Malley, a former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor, announced his long-shot bid to win the Democratic nomination from Hillary Clinton this morning. "Today, the American dream seems for so many of us to be hanging by a thread," the 52-year-old said in Baltimore, accompanied by his wife and four children. "It does not have to be this way. This generation of Americans still has time to become great. We must save our country now. And we will do that by rebuilding the dream.” A sampling of coverage:

• Washington Post: "He is banking, boosters say, on the prospect that Clinton’s widespread support will crater as more voters assess the baggage she brings to the race and that O’Malley—a two-term governor with string of progressive accomplishments—will emerge as the most credible alternative."

• Baltimore Sun: "Analysts give O'Malley little chance capturing the nomination, and speculate he is angling to raise his profile for a future run—or perhaps a Cabinet post."
• CNN: "The treatment of Freddie Gray, which sparked a national dialogue about police conduct toward racial minorities, drew renewed scrutiny to the controversial zero-tolerance policing strategy that O'Malley advocated for as mayor—part of an aggressive strategy to crack down on crime."
• Politico: "The run-up to his launch here could hardly have been worse, complicated in recent weeks by unrest in the city where he served as mayor and the unexpected early momentum of another Hillary Clinton challenger: Bernie Sanders."
• New York Times: His resume "might be irresistible" to Democrats—in any other year. It's "unclear whether Mr. O’Malley can aggressively raise funds without a devoted base of support, which Mr. Sanders can draw on, or a raft of major donors, which Mrs. Clinton enjoys. His aides have declined to say whether he has a single backer who would be willing to contribute millions of dollars to a 'super PAC' to keep him afloat."

(More Martin O'Malley stories.)