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Martin O鈥橫alley is often mentioned as a potential presidential candidate in 2016, and when asked Friday if he might run, he offered the usual 鈥淚鈥檓 too busy being governor of Maryland鈥� response.

But Governor O鈥橫alley didn鈥檛 rule it out. And when asked whether he鈥檚 had any discussion with his family, he allowed that the subject has come up with his two college-age daughters.

鈥淢y daughters will e-mail me when they see the honorable mentions with such tremendous leaders as Hillary Clinton and Andrew Cuomo, who鈥檚 done an outstanding job in New York, and Vice President Biden, who my daughters just adore,鈥� said O鈥橫alley, speaking at the centrist Democratic think tank Third Way in Washington. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l e-mail me and say, 鈥楤oy, Dad, it鈥檚 nice to be included.鈥� So there鈥檚 that sort of talk.鈥�

O鈥橫alley dropped other hints that suggested the idea of running for president might have crossed his mind.听听听

鈥淎nything that you hope to do later in public service always depends on your doing a good job at what you鈥檙e doing right now,鈥� says O鈥橫alley, who鈥檚 in his second term. 鈥淎nd so ... in some ways it鈥檚 a simpler time for me, because I know I cannot run again for governor. 鈥�

That means no need to carve out time to raise money for a reelection campaign, or pressure from the party to run again and hold the statehouse, he says.

These thoughts about a possible campaign came after he maintained he wasn鈥檛 thinking much about running.

鈥淚 also am the head of the Democratic Governors Association for the second year, and I suppose for that reason as well as the good job we鈥檝e done in Maryland together over these last few years, people kindly mention me when they talk about what the future of our party holds,鈥� O鈥橫alley said.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 nice and it鈥檚 kind, but I don鈥檛 really spend a whole lot of time thinking about it, working on it, or worrying about it,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭he future 鈥� you know, the future will be, and what I鈥檓 focused on right now is what I have to do in the present. And that鈥檚 plenty for me.鈥�

In the immediate term, O鈥橫alley faces an impasse in his state legislature over a package of tax increases and spending cuts that, if not resolved by July, could result in deep cuts to education spending. Given the large Democratic majorities in the Maryland legislature, the unexpected meltdown was an embarrassment to O鈥橫alley.

But in his conversation Friday with national reporters, O鈥橫alley preferred to focus on the good news coming out of his state. O鈥橫alley is all about metrics, and he came with an armful: Maryland public schools have been named No. 1 in the nation by Education Week magazine four years in a row. Maryland has also gone four straight years without raising tuition in its public universities. Violent crime is down to its lowest levels in 30 years. Over the past year, Maryland has had the ninth-best job-creation rate in the United States. Maryland has the highest median income in the country.

And, as O鈥橫alley announced the day before, Maryland鈥檚 blue crab population is at its highest level since 1993 鈥� not the basis for a national campaign, but certainly good news for a state that prides itself on its tasty crustaceans.

O鈥橫alley, who appears often on national TV as a leading Democrat, also differed with President Obama鈥檚 emphasis on 鈥渇airness鈥� as a campaign message.

鈥淎s I talk to people, yeah, they鈥檙e bothered by the income disparity as one symptom, but they鈥檙e more bothered by the fact that their husband or their wife might lose their job, or that they might no longer have health care, or if they have it, they鈥檙e going to have to part with a lot more money,鈥� he said.

Addressing the issues of job loss, home loss, decline in the quality of life, and erosion of incomes is a more persuasive argument, O'Malley says, than the theme of fairness.

But, he added, there is a 鈥減ositive platform鈥� for Mr. Obama to run on, centered on themes of education, innovation, and rebuilding.

Over and over, O鈥橫alley came back to education as an area where government can build for the future. So here鈥檚 an early guess: If he does run in 2016, he鈥檒l pitch himself as the 鈥渆ducation president.鈥�

鈥淚 think one of the most persuasive points for our own reelection in Maryland among seniors was affordable college,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hy is that? Because they remember the GI Bill, because they have grandkids, because they know that education is the best indicator of economic security.鈥�

鈥淪o,鈥� he concluded, speaking about the Democrats鈥� overall message this fall, 鈥淚 think opportunity is what this is going to be about.鈥�

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