O’Malley hits Hillary on gay marriage, immigration

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D), who is weighing a 2016 presidential bid, on Thursday delivered a shot at Hillary Clinton, suggesting she flip-flopped on gay marriage and immigration reform.

O’Malley was asked about his potential rival’s stances on those issues at an event hosted by The Guardian newspaper at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.

“I’m glad Secretary Clinton’s come around to the right positions on these issues,” O’Malley said, according to a report in The Guardian. “I believe that we are best as a party when we lead with our principles and not according to the polls.

{mosads}“Leadership is about making the right decision, and the best decision before sometimes it becomes entirely popular,” he added.

During her 2008 White House run, Clinton was reluctant to take a firm stand on the issue of giving a driver’s license to illegal immigrants.

But earlier Thursday, a Clinton campaign official told The Washington Post she “supports state policies to provide drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants.”

She also did not endorse same-sex marriage during that earlier run. But in 2013, she announced her support for gay marriage in a video message for the Human Rights Campaign. On Wednesday, Clinton also urged the Supreme Court to recognize a right to same-sex marriage nationwide.

Clinton announced that she is running for president on Sunday; polls show her to be the clear Democratic front-runner right now, with O’Malley trailing far behind.

O’Malley has said he will make a decision by late May. But as he weighs his decision, the former governor has not been shy about taking shots at Clinton.

Last month, he generated headlines after saying that the “presidency is not some crown to be passed between two families,” a reference to Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a likely GOP presidential candidate.