Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was unimpressed by former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s entrance into the 2016 presidential contest Saturday.
“Yet another anti-freedom politician jumps into the race today for POTUS,” Palin wrote on her Facebook page.
“As cool as he is with his rock ‘n roll persona, this typical liberal’s erroneous grasp of our Bill of Rights merely continues the strange and disastrous agenda of Barack Obama,” she said.
{mosads}“Good to know he doesn’t have much chance of winning,” Palin added of O’Malley’s presidential odds.
O’Malley announced his presidential campaign Saturday morning in an address from Baltimore’s Federal Hill Park.
The former Maryland governor is widely considered an underdog against Hillary Clinton, a heavy favorite for next year’s Democratic nomination.
Palin implied Saturday that O’Malley was offering token resistance against the former secretary of State.
“The Democrats have greased the skids for their chosen one, despite the media games that play the public with various ‘competing’ campaigns used for gamey distractions,” she said.
O’Malley responded to Palin by teasingly suggesting she enter the 2016 race.
“Good to hear from you after all these years,” O’Malley wrote in a tweet directed at Palin. “There’s still room in GOP primary for another entrant!”
Palin, a vice presidential candidate in the 2008 election cycle, also urged Democrats frustrated by their 2016 choices to abandon their party.
“For those who still identify as Democrats, it’s quite easy to bid a deceptive party an overdue farewell,” she said.
Palin promised she would provide links to relevant voter registration offices to any Democratic voters willing to switch their party affiliation to Independent or even Republican status.
“Your newfound sweet freedom will empower you,” Palin wrote.
She added she could understand why voters from either party were displeased with their elected officials.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were all too willing to abandon their ideology, she argued.
“I feel kind of bad for Democrats who are as embarrassed about their party leaving them as some of us Republicans are about our own party when we hear the GOP talk a good game but dishonorably capitulate when given the majority power to stop Obama’s nonsense,” Palin said.
O’Malley promised potential voters Saturday he would offer “new leadership” that Clinton could not provide.
He now squares off with the former first lady and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for the Democratic nomination next year.
Former Gov. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) is expected to enter the fray Wednesday with a campaign launch of his own.
Former Sen. Jim Webb (Va.) has repeatedly teased he has his eyes on the Oval Office as well.
– Updated at 5:28 p.m.