Katie Curran O’Malley, wife of former Maryland governor, launches bid for state AG

Katie Curran O’Malley, the wife of former governor Martin O’Malley (D-Md.), will announce this week that she is running for Maryland attorney general. 

The bid by O’Malley, a 59-year-old retired judge, will set up a primary battle with Rep. Anthony Brown (D-Md.), who served as her husband’s lieutenant governor. Current Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) is declining to seek reelection next year, though O’Malley forecasted that she will continue his work. 

“I have a great deal of respect for Brian Frosh; I would not have been running if he were seeking reelection,” she said in an interview with The Washington Post, which broke the news of her campaign.

“When he decided that he would not, I thought it was the perfect marriage of all the experience that I’ve had as state’s attorney and then as a judge to campaign for the role of attorney general and to carry on his legacy,” she added. 

O’Malley is expected to officially launch her campaign on Thursday.

Frosh announced in late October that he will not run for another term, and O’Malley announced roughly a week later that she would step down from her role as a Baltimore District Court judge.

Frosh has used his post to advocate for a slate of Democratic priorities, including suing the Trump administration to protect ObamaCare and fighting against its travel ban.

During her time as a judge, O’Malley was heavily involved in tackling domestic violence.

O’Malley would be the first woman to hold the office, which her father also held from 1987-2007. 

Montgomery County Republican Jim Shalleck is the only other person in the race who has formally declared their candidacy.