Of everyone on the list, Gov. Martin O鈥橫alley of Maryland is the most open about his intentions.
鈥淏y the end of this year, I think we鈥檙e on course to have a body of work that lays the framework of a candidacy for 2016,鈥� Governor O鈥橫alley reporters at a National Governors Association meeting last August.
On July 31, O鈥橫alley reported raising almost $500,000 so far this year for his political action committee, the O鈥橲ay Can You See PAC.
Since taking office in January 2007, Governor O鈥橫alley has worked his way up the ranks of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), serving as chairman in 2011 and 2012 鈥� a position that allows him to build connections, and goodwill, with Democrats around the country.
Now O鈥橫alley is the DGA鈥檚 finance chairman, a fundraising position that keeps him connected to the party鈥檚 major donors. He鈥檚 also a regular on national cable news and a speaker at Democratic fundraising dinners 鈥� including those in the early nominating states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
In 2009, Governing magazine named O鈥橫alley one of its 鈥淧ublic Officials of the Year.鈥� The magazine cited his data-driven approach, both as governor and as a two-term mayor of Baltimore before that. He has signed legislation legalizing gay marriage and in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants in Maryland, and both measures were supported by Maryland voters on Election Day.
