INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley walked an early — and tricky path — into presidential proving ground Iowa on Sunday, less than 60 days before the 2012 election.
The chairman of the Democratic Governors Association says he was focused on helping Iowans elect a Democratic governor in 2014, not sowing seeds for his own presidential ambition.
Before speaking to hundreds of Iowa Democratic activists O'Malley told reporters that he was attending the fundraiser because his friend, Sen. Tom Harkin, asked him come to Harkin's annual fall fundraiser.
The steak fry has been a common stop for early White House aspirants in Iowa, where the presidential caucuses are scheduled to begin the 2016 Democratic nominating process.