O’Malley fails to qualify for Ohio ballot

Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley failed to qualify for the ballot in Ohio.

A spokesman for the Ohio secretary of state confirmed to The Hill on Thursday that O’Malley did not get the necessary 1,000 signatures to appear on the March 15 ballot.

{mosads}O’Malley’s campaign submitted 1,175 signatures, but only 772 were found to be valid, according to the secretary’s office.

“While this news is disappointing, we are exploring all of our options,” Haley Morris, a spokeswoman for O’Malley, said in a statement.

Morris said that O’Malley will “campaign vigorously” in the Buckeye State and noted that he is on the ballot in 18 other states.

O’Malley, a former Maryland governor, has failed to gain traction for his 2016 Democratic bid, placing well behind former secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in recent polls.

The Associated Press first reported that O’Malley failed to make the ballot.

Updated at 12:51 p.m.