Martin O’Malley planning 2016 campaign launch in late May

It seems like he’s been leaning toward running, and his actions lately support that assumption with his travel schedule, national interviews, and numerous early primary state visits. Reports indicate Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland Democratic Governor, will be getting his affairs in order and plans to launch a presidential campaign in late May with an announcement from the city of Baltimore.

Report from Politico:

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s supporters are getting ready for a likely presidential campaign launch in Baltimore in late May, while the candidate meets with prospective donors in the San Francisco area this week.

It’s part of a significant ramp-up in activity to take advantage of the media vacuum that’s resulted from Hillary Clinton’s status as the only declared Democrat in the presidential race. O’Malley, who left the Maryland governor’s mansion in 2015 after eight years, has recently given a handful of national interviews, including one with NPR during which he raised eyebrows — and his profile — by labeling Republican claims that regulation leads to income inequality as “kind of patently bulls***.”

He is scheduled to appear at the South Carolina Democratic Party convention this weekend and will almost certainly stop in Iowa in the coming weeks, though details have not yet been finalized, according to aides. His stop in New Hampshire on May 13 for a state party fundraiser and house party will probably be one of his final pre-campaign trips.

In late May, he will likely make his White House intentions official at an announcement in Baltimore, where he launched his political career and served eight years as mayor.

He has not shied away from attacking Hillary or his potential Republican opponents if he would become the nominee. He’s clearly in it to become the progressive alternative to the Clinton machine with the hopes of preventing Elizabeth Warren from entering the race if that mantle goes unclaimed. O’Malley has a mixed record as Governor but, on paper, he’s a good candidate who could go far on the Democratic side if he gains traction.