Martin O'Malley Probably Wouldn't Be A Veep

The Democratic presidential nomination is still up for grabs, but it could be the second-tier spot on the ticket that's more contested at this point. With a lead of more than 200 pledged delegates and just about a month left in the primary season, it seems overwhelmingly likely that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will secure her party's nomination, but her running mate was still very much TBD as of Wednesday. Cue the speculation. Could Martin O'Malley run to be Clinton's vice president?

In short, O'Malley, a former presidential candidate, governor of Maryland, and mayor of Baltimore, doesn't seem like a probable choice. Several names have come up for speculation as Clinton has inched closer to the nomination, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and popular Democratic twins the Castro brothers. O'Malley's name hasn't come up much in the media recently. He hasn't had much of a voice in the election since he dropped out of the Democratic race on the night of the Iowa caucus — although you could argue that he didn't even really have much of a voice then, either.

Still, there are many reasons O'Malley might make sense for Clinton's ticket. He has remained a loyal supporter of Clinton in the past, for one. He has also worked to unify and strengthen the Democratic Party. During the 2014 midterm elections, he campaigned for more than 150 Democratic candidates in just a matter of months.

O'Malley also has prior experiences desirable to a Democratic presidential ticket. As the mayor of Baltimore, he repeatedly won over the largely African American population of the city. As the governor of Maryland, O'Malley signed a law to make undocumented immigrants eligible for in-state tuition.

Despite these credentials, though, O'Malley might just be too safe of a pick for Clinton's ticket. While experienced, popular in office, and familiar with Washington, O'Malley doesn't necessarily have the certain swagger than gets people energized and excited about an election. That's evident from his short-lived presidential campaign, which ended on the first official night of the primary season.

There's little doubt that O'Malley has a future in Democratic politics. He's relatively young, he has a vibrant personality beyond politics (he is in a band, after all), and he's clearly no stranger to the campaign trail. That said, he might not be right for this year's general election. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has a seemingly undying ability to garner large, passionate crowds — both at rallies and at the polls. If Clinton's running mate doesn't contribute to her own crowds, then she'd likely need to look elsewhere.