A glance at a Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley

This is one part of a series on the things students should know about each of 2016’s presidential candidates.

Martin O’Malley: Was born on Jan. 8, 1963 in Washington, D.C. O’ Malley went to the University of Maryland School of Law and later served as an assistant to the United States Attorney for D.C. He started his political career on the Baltimore City Council, serving two terms. In 1999 he was elected Mayor of Baltimore until 2007. From 2007 until the present he has been serving as the Governor of Maryland.

Foreign Policy: O’Malley believes one of the biggest threats to United States security would be Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. He supports Obama when it comes to the nuclear Iran deal and believes diplomatic solutions are the way to go. O’Malley advocates for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, saying it would be in the best interest for all parties involved.

Immigration: O’Malley supports a path to citizenship for immigrants living illegally in the United States. “My end goal is to get 11 million people out of the shadow economy and shadow society and in the light of full participation,” O’Malley said. He also advocates for legislation that would allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates.

Environment: O’Malley has addressed that climate change is a real threat. He believes “our country can and should be 100 percent powered by clean energy.” As governor he passed legislation for wind farms and an increase in recycling and composting. He signed for a cap-and-trade program, which provides businesses and corporations economic incentives to produce less emissions.

Education: O’Malley advocates for reducing tuition costs for higher education and lowering student loans. He would like to increase federal funding for higher education through matching grants to encourage states to put more funding to colleges and universities. He would then like to essentially tie tuition rates to median incomes so they don’t exceed more than 10 percent of the state median income for four-year public universities.

Social Issues: O’Malley has supported and signed legislation that supports same-sex couples right to wed. He says, “We are One Maryland.” O’Malley is also pro-abortion rights and opposes the death penalty.