Martin O’Malley for Vice President?

On Saturday, Martin O’Malley announced his intention to run for president, but one must ask themselves, does that really make sense?

O’Malley, originally from the suburbs of D.C., stayed close to home while attending The Catholic University of America. Interning, campaigning, law school then eventually making the state’s attorney’s office, O’Malley focused his efforts primarily on the city of Baltimore.

After that, O’Malley ran for the Maryland State Senate at age 27. He lost by 44 votes. In fact, he led the race late into election night, only to lose on absentee ballots. He would eventually become the mayor of Baltimore then a two-term governor.

O’Malley, 52, has perpetuated a young, energetic image that will benefit him when compared to his two opponents. Clinton, 67, and Sanders, 73, are products of an older political generation.

In his official announcement on Saturday, one of O’Malley’s strongest lines focused on potential, “This generation of Americans still has time to become great.” Much like the candidate compared to his cohorts, there is more room for progress in the younger generation. In Vice Presidential candidates, politicians look to shore up their weaknesses. Hillary would benefit from a young, slightly more progressive liberal well versed in policy and urban revitalization.

If O’Malley truly wants the presidential nomination, he miscalculated. He has quite a lot of ground to make up before he catches Sanders, much less Clinton, in terms of funding and general support. O’Malley is neither a moderate nor a socialist, placing him in a centrist position unlikely to appeal to large-scale donors. Additionally, big money will not be attracted to a former governor running as a progressive while boasting little name recognition.

A lack of funding realistically precludes O’Malley from running, but a strong showing could land him below Hillary’s name on the ballot next September.

That is not to mention his blunt and bellicose criticism of big money, “I’ve got news for the bullies of Wall Street. The Presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth, by you, between two royal families. It is a sacred trust to be earned from the American people and exercised on behalf of the people of these United States.”

O’Malley is a much more appealing Vice Presidential candidate than Bernie Sanders for multiple reasons with the first pertaining to ideological labels. Sanders is a socialist: any politician donning this label can kiss an electoral majority goodbye. O’Malley is a token progressive with boast-able credentials. National appeal is reason enough to prefer O’Malley to Sanders on the ticket.

O’Malley, and Sanders for that matter, stand little chance of reaching Clinton, but both will serve as a liberal tide to pull her farther left in a similar way that many Republican primaries will pull Jeb Bush farther right.

There is a balance to strike between criticism and praise. Up to this point, criticism of Clinton from his camp has been veiled and circumspect. To gain more traction on the national stage, O’Malley will have to make more headlines and be pugnacious. The struggle will be finding an understanding of how far he can push the envelope.

The presidency seems to be a stretch for O’Malley. Therefore, it could be that this candidacy is merely political posturing to procure a place on the Democratic ticket for Vice President.

With other candidates sure to come out of the woodwork, O’Malley will not be alone in his fight for second but announcing before other names gives him more time to make up ground on the campaign and fundraising trails.

As Hillary becomes more vulnerable, the presidential nomination may not be impossible, but at the moment it is far from the realm of a realistic possibility. O’Malley must balance political assault to achieve name-recognition with disciplined restraint to stay on Hillary’s good side.