W Post: In aggressive bid to get noticed, O’Malley hits Clinton from the left [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

In friendlier times: Then-Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley endorsed then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's first presidential bid in 2007. (Kathleen Lange/AP)


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-aggressive-bid-to-get-noticed-omalley-hits-clinton-from-the-left/2015/04/24/1532160a-e93c-11e4-9a6a-c1ab95a0600b_story.html

By Anne Gearan and John Wagner April 24

At the dawn of her presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton finds herself outflanked on the left by a former Maryland governor with little national reputation but many of the populist political talents she lacks.

Martin O’Malley is using Clinton’s closely watched and long-anticipated 2016 launch to raise his profile ahead of his own likely entry into the race next month. He has seized on specific economic and social policy issues, including same-sex marriage and an international trade deal, in a bid to raise questions about Clinton’s liberal bona fides.

The attacks — some more thinly veiled than others — have forced Clinton to explain herself on a number of difficult topics, which was not part of her plan for a gradual roll-out with an emphasis on middle-class economic issues.

It is a remarkable feat for an undeclared candidate who still lingers at the bottom of polls in a thin Democratic field.

FULL story at link.