O’Malley picks top campaign staffer

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Md.) has hired a former Obama campaign staffer to lead his underdog 2016 presidential bid to defeat front-runner Hillary Clinton, according to The New York Times.

{mosads}Dave Hamrick, O’Malley’s new campaign manager, worked as then-Sen. Barack Obama’s senior adviser in Michigan and Pennsylvania during the general election, and as a grassroots and voter turnout strategist during the primaries. He later started the New Partners consulting group with other former Obama campaign aides.

He also has worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

O’Malley and Hamrick are teaming up for an uphill battle against both Clinton, and her current foil, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The former secretary of State holds a wide margin over her Democratic rivals, but Sanders has emerged as the strong second-place finisher in virtually all of the polling of the current field.

Sanders usually polls between 10 percent and 15 percent, while O’Malley wins between 1 percent and 5 percent. Sanders loses his second-place finish in most polls that include Vice President Biden.

O’Malley lauded Hamrick as the “perfect choice” in a statement released to the Times.

“He brings a tremendous amount of political experience and a strong grasp for Iowa politics,” O’Malley said.

By noting Iowa in that statement, the former governor underscores the implicit understanding that any Clinton challenger must shock the field in an early nominating state in order to gain the necessary momentum to topple the favorite.