Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with Sen.-elect Angela Alsobrooks, endorsed former Maryland Gov. and Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley for Democratic National Committee chair.

The endorsement comes on the heels of O’Malley’s recent chairmanship bid and ahead of the expected DNC chair election early next year.

“As Marylanders, we are proud to support and endorse former Governor Martin O’Malley for DNC Chair. His leadership plan centers around a 50-state strategy focused on jobs, opportunity, and economic security for all. There’s no question that Democrats stand on the side of hardworking Americans. We need a DNC chair like Governor O’Malley focused on making it clear to voters that Democrats will listen to Americans’ concerns and deliver real solutions for their families and our country,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

O’Malley revealed his plan to step down from his current position as Social Security Administration commissioner Nov. 18 in an interview with The New York Times. In a social media post, O’Malley thanked President Joe Biden for his opportunity to serve as the leader of the SSA and praised the agency.

“It has been a great honor to serve alongside the people of the Social Security Administration, who have turned around this agency and put it on a better path forward. For the dignity of every individual, social security works,” O’Malley wrote on X. “Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to have served so many Americans…with such a fine group of Americans. Stronger Together.”

His bid for chairmanship comes at a chaotic time for the Democratic Party. On Sunday, Nov. 17, former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Democrats are in the “wilderness” without a “clear leader” after President-elect Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.

“We face enormous challenges and a lot of soul-searching,” O’Malley told The New York Times. “We need to focus on fixing the problem and not the blame.”

O’Malley is expected to campaign on his experience as mayor, governor and one-time leader of the Democratic Governors Association to land the position as chair of the DNC.

This is not the first time O’Malley has pursued the party’s leadership; he ran for DNC chair in 2016 but withdrew his candidacy early in the race. The current DNC chair, Jaime Harrison, is not expected to run for a second term.

The former two-term governor is the first candidate to formally enter the race for DNC chair, though several state Democratic Party leaders have been rumored to want to join as well.

The DNC chair election is expected to happen Feb. 1 at the party’s annual winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland.

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