Martin O'Malley's Daughter Has Taken On D.C.

The First Family could grow quite a bit in 2017. Should former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley win the Democratic nomination and go on to win the White House, his four kids' successes and challenges will take center stage. That shouldn't be a problem for Tara O'Malley, the nominee's second-eldest. To a degree, following in her father's footsteps, Tara worked in politics after graduating from the College of Charleston, a prominent public university in South Carolina. Largely staying out of the public eye, the 23-year-old has been rocking it behind the scenes.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Tara studied International and Global Studies during her undergrad years, graduating in 2014. She interned at the 2012 Democratic National Convention with Sheehan Associates working behind the scenes helping support speakers and other VIP attendees. On the Elizabeth Colbert-Busch congressional campaign — Stephen Colbert's sister ultimately lost her bid to the Republican — Tara helped manage voter registration drives and recruit volunteers on campus. Then, after graduation, Tara interned and at the White House. Impressive! In her first job out of school, she began working at the United Nations Foundation in Washington, D.C., in February and remains there as an Administrative Assistant. The foundation works to support the mission of the United Nations and its goals like fostering sustainable development and helping women and children.

The last time Tara spoke in detail about being the daughter of a famous politician was in 2008. In a self-penned article in Girls' Life magazine, Tara explained a childhood different from that of her friends. Both her parents were busy public servants and were usually at work when she and her siblings would come home from school. Katie O'Malley is a Baltimore City District Court judge and before his time as governor, Martin was a Baltimore City councilman and then mayor. Tara said from an early age she could tell her dad was important, even if she didn't quite understand what it meant for her life, being a daughter of a politician on the rise.

If I was on the outside, I would imagine the life of a politician's daughter to be super glamorous—with limos and private planes—but it's not at all like that.

She wrote that sometimes it could be embarrassing having a famous father. She gives the example of elementary school teachers asking all the kids what their parents did for a living. When the teachers would get to Tara, she would respond "the mayor" — surprising her classmates. Perks of having a governor for a dad included tasty food from political events and getting rides to her dates from Maryland State Troopers.

In her article, Tara says that she is glad her father wasn't picked for VP back in 2008 because she wanted to stay in Maryland through high school, but she supports his political aspirations. She said he "would make a great president one day," but that she "can't even imagine what it would be like living in the White House." Luckily, this time around, she's probably too old to live at home.

Gov. O'Malley has spoken about his daughters primarily with regards to education costs. His daughter Grace, a public school teacher in Baltimore, wrote her father's campaign supporters talking about college debt. In a Washington Post article his aides said the O'Malley family had racked up $339,200 paying for the two daughters' schooling.

Tara also gained notoriety in 2008 after she was found unconscious in Baltimore after having drunk alcohol at a high school graduation party. First Lady O'Malley called it a "teachable moment" but also a "private, family matter." At the time, the governor had already passed stricter underage drinking laws.

The potential First Daughter seems to have learned her lesson and prospered. There's one more she might need to learn, though. On LinkedIn she still follows her dad's competitor, Hillary Clinton.