O’Malley backers form super-PAC

Allies of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) have formed a super-PAC to boost his presidential prospects just days before he’s expected launch a long-shot bid for the White House.
 
The super-PAC is called Generation Forward, a gentle dig at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton as a candidate of the past, and is led by Damian O’Doherty, a longtime O’Malley supporter and fundraiser who is also a trustee of the former governor’s leadership PAC.
 
Also on board are Ron Boehmer, a former O’Malley spokesman who will serve as communications director and “millennial adviser,” and Susan Smith, a veteran Maryland Democratic fundraiser, who will serve as finance director.
 
Generation Forward will focus heavily on younger voters, as Boehmer argued that O’Malley is a natural fit for the constituency.
 
“We believe the country is looking for new leadership and new ideas, and we’re supporting him because he best speaks to the ideas and issues that millennials care about,” Boehmer said. “His record in the statehouse shows he was an early supporter of same-sex marriage, holding down the cost of college, and passing and enacting the Dream Act, which are issues that young people care about.”
 
The group will engage in more than just media advertising, which has, in the past, been the primary focus of most super-PACs. Boehmer said Generation Forward will extend its reach to field organization and college outreach, and will collaborate with political start-ups and nonprofits to amplify its message.
 
And rather than just existing as a website online, like many super-PACs, the group will open offices across the country, managing the costs by running out of shared start-up spaces.
 
O’Malley is expected to launch his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday from Baltimore, but he faces long odds.
 
According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, he’s taking only 1 percent support nationally among Democrats, trailing former secretary of State Hillary Clinton at 57 percent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 15 percent and Vice President Biden at 9 percent.
 
By law, super-PACs can’t coordinate with the candidates, but having an outside group running a political campaign alongside O’Malley could help him gain traction against Clinton, who is otherwise dominating the invisible primary in the early stages of the campaign.