Sanders overwhelms O’Malley

During the last week, there were two interesting developments in the Democratic sweepstakes for president. There is no question that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is surging in polls and enthusiasm as the leading Democratic challenger to Hillary Clinton. In the latest surprise, Sanders is closing in on Clinton in New Hampshire and is within striking distance of closing Clinton’s margin to single digits.

{mosads}What is equally important, and less reported in the media, is that Sanders is totally suffocating the campaign of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). In the Democratic race, there are two primaries. There is the primary for first place, with the Sanders surge garnering him huge media attention (including from yours truly). But the second primary is for second place, to determine which of the most liberal candidates will pose the ultimate challenge to Clinton, and in this second primary Sanders is winning a landslide over O’Malley and all other challengers.

O’Malley was a good governor of Maryland, and a good mayor of Baltimore, though as mayor he was not the fighting populist liberal he is campaigning as today — as opposed to Sanders, who was the progressive champion in every campaign he ran and every office he held.

O’Malley is feeling the heat from Sanders. If Sanders continues to surge and O’Malley continues to be a 2 percent to 3 percent candidate, watch for O’Malley’s money to dry up with pressure for him to withdraw. While the media focuses on the first primary, watch closely the second primary to determine whether O’Malley remains viable as a candidate or whether the Sanders surge ultimately drives O’Malley from the race, leaving Sanders as the decisive winner of the battle for second place.

Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was then chief deputy majority whip of the House. He holds an LL.M. degree in international financial law from the London School of Economics. Contact him at brentbbi@webtv.net.