Martin O’Malley:
Martin O’Malley is a former Governor of Maryland, Mayor of Baltimore and Baltimore City Councilman.
O’Malley is most famous for having decreased crime rates by 40 percent in Baltimore during his term as mayor, which allowed for economic revitalization. He did so with a drastically increased amount of arrests, which gave him a mixed reputation in the city.
In a Democratic shadow of sorts to Donald Trump’s platform, O’Malley’s campaign is based on “rebuilding America.” He claims that economic reform is necessary, as “conditions of extreme and growing poverty create conditions for extreme violence.”
O’Malley claims that there is an excess of corporate power in the United States. He supports middle-out economics instead of trickle-down economics, and wants to fight big banks and hold Wall Street CEOs responsible for the 2008 deficit.
He also supports comprehensive immigration reform, and believes that undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children should be eligible for in-state college tuition.
Additionally, O’Malley believes that abortion should be legal without restriction and supports same-sex marriage as an ally to the LGBTQ community. He is a proponent of gun control and is an opponent of capital punishment.
According to a recent CNN/ORC poll, Martin O’Malley is currently polling at about one percent.
Larry Lessig:
Lester Lawrence “Larry” Lessig lll is a politician, activist, academic and attorney. He is the current Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, has previously worked at the University of Chicago and Stanford Law Schools, and is known for founding Creative Commons.
Lessig has called for state-based action to reform government from the inside out. His campaign is primarily based on campaign finance reform and electoral reform. Lessig claims that the American political system is faulty and that “partisanship doesn’t work.”
Upon starting his campaign, he famously claimed he would reform the campaign system, free the American people from corruption and then give up the presidency to his vice president. Lessig later revised this statement, saying that he would instead serve a full term.
Lessig is skeptical of government regulation, a view which stems from his Republican affiliation as a young man, but would permit some for administrative purposes. He favors reduced copyright restrictions.
Many of Lessig’s social views are somewhat ambiguous, but he appears to be fairly socially liberal. He is a supporter of Planned Parenthood and seems to support gun control.
Lessig believes that hard-working undocumented immigrants should have the opportunity to become citizens, and that American workers deserve “a minimum wage that is a living wage.”
According to the most recent CNN/ORC poll, Larry Lessig is currently polling at less than 1 percent.
Jim Webb:
Jim Webb is an author, filmmaker and current US Senator from Virginia. He has served as Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and as an officer in the Marine Corps.
Webb champions a few conservative views; he has campaigned as a Republican in the past and is still apparently a favorite for conservatives. He supports gun rights and measures which would limit affirmative action.
On the other hand, Webb strongly opposes Citizens United and the war in Iraq, and is a standout supporter of criminal justice reform and the demilitarization of police forces.
He also supports many economic stimulus packages and is a famous proponent of the common man, claiming that corporations and government should be putting the individual worker first.
Additionally, Webb supports fewer restrictions on abortion and increased stem cell research.
Webb’s most notable moment is perhaps his widely criticized complaint that he wasn’t getting enough time to speak in the recent Democratic debate.
Jim Webb dropped out of the presidential race on October 20, 2015. A CNN/ORC poll showed that he was polling at 1 percent shortly before he dropped out. At a press conference, Webb stated that the Democratic Party has moved away from “millions of dedicated, hard-working Americans.” He is now considering an Independent run.
