The Maryland governor is a problem-solver and a social-justice Catholic who can transcend the left-right divide. Keep an eye on him.

In his potential White House run, however, O’Malley won’t be pursuing the DLC’s lurch-to-the-center path. Nor will he be following the liberal orthodoxy. Indeed, it’s the Maryland Governor’s uniquely post-Clinton, post-Obama positioning that makes him this handicapper’s pick to emerge as the dark horse with the most potent stretch kick in the 2016 presidential derby.

The most compelling reason? As O’Malley demonstrated in the immigration debate, he’s the rare progressive to frame his strongly felt policy positions in the language of faith. It’s the passionate application of universal moral values by this devout Catholic that has the potential to upend the usual partisan and ideological categories that are choking today’s body politic.
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But the most interesting thing about O’Malley is his exploration of an intriguing, heart-centered strategy that could potentially shake up our national political paradigm: using the language of faith and universal moral values to ground public policy.