Former Governor Martin O’Malley landed the endorsement of Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA). Swalwell represents the 15th District in California, but was born in Iowa. The two term congressman wrote his endorsement of O’Malley in the Des Moines Register, one of the top newspapers in the crucial state.
In the endorsement, Swalwell appealed directly to the millennial vote. According to Governing Magazine in 2014, millennials made up 27% of the population in Iowa. Swalwell emphasized college affordability in his column and mentioned how he met O’Malley while in college. He wrote about O’Malley made college more affordable in Maryland and then said, “Our generation needs Martin O’Malley in the White House.”
O’Malley and Swalwell have gone back for several years and Swalwell has said he considers O’Malley his mentor and friend. Swalwell served as chairman of O’Malley’s O’ Say Can You See PAC’s Young Professionals Leadership Council in 2014. However at the time, Swalwell said his support of O’Malley should not be indicative of whom he would support in 2016.
This is the first major endorsement for O’Malley. In the endorsements war, Secretary Hillary Clinton is dominating the field. She has the support of numerous Senators, Representatives, and Governors. Despite serving in both the House and Senate, Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) does not have any endorsements from current members of Congress or any sitting governors.