The race for Democratic Party chair has officially launched with a onetime Maryland governor and unsuccessful presidential candidate Martin O'Malley announcing a bid to take the reins. O'Malley, who has faded from the national scene of late,

The former Maryland governor told POLITICO he’ll resign as head of the Social Security Administration at the end of the month.

Mr. O’Malley, who ran for president in 2016, is the first candidate to announce a bid to lead the reeling Democratic Party as it faces two years of powerlessness in Washington.