In a recent interview, state Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Calvert) said, “There are people like myself who think it’s Hillary’s time.” U.S. House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) told Roll Call recently that he considers Clinton the “odds-on favorite of most Democrats if she runs.” Hoyer added that if she doesn’t run, he would support O’Malley, who would make an “excellent” president.

O’Malley has been working diligently to promote himself and boost his prospects. Late last year, he traveled to New Hampshire, where, at a Democratic dinner, he touted his record of fighting crime and drugs in Baltimore and pushing progressive causes at the State House in Annapolis, including the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Cards left on the seats invited Democrats in New Hampshire, the nation’s first presidential primary state, to “stay in touch” with O’Malley, offering the names and phone numbers of two political staffers and ways to follow him on social media. A video posted a few days later on O’Malley’s Web site included some “behind the scenes” footage from the trip that showed him meeting with party leaders and invited fans to “join the movement.”