martin o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s presidential campaign-in-waiting has sought to maintain some suspense about a <u+201c>special announcement<u+201d> he has planned for may 30<u+00a0>in baltimore.









an email sent out thursday by o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s team asked <u+201c>is he in or is he out? will he run or won<u+2019>t he?,<u+201d> and promised people who put their names on an e-mail list that they could be the first to know -- <u+201c>before the media, the politicians and the washington establishment.<u+201d>









not to burst anyone<u+2019>s bubble, but the answer is already pretty clear. here are 10 signs that o'malley is running:









1) during one of a series of conference calls<u+00a0>thursday night, o<u+2019>malley directed former staffers to a web site -- www.omalleyannouncement.com<u+00a0>-- where people can sign up to attend his may 30 announcement in baltimore. a line at the bottom of the page says the site is "paid for by o<u+2019>malley for president.<u+201d>









2) o<u+2019>malley aides put out word that he has leased 7,200 square feet of office space -- the right size to lunch an insurgent campaign -- in baltimore near penn station, the city<u+2019>s rail hub. promoting a baltimore sun story about the move on twitter, o<u+2019>malley communications maven lis smith, currently a new york resident, wrote, <u+201c>baltimore, here we come.<u+201d>









3) several aides now employed by o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s political action committee have been looking for places to live in baltimore.









4) in another conference call thursday night, o<u+2019>malley aides outlined plans to begin fundraising for a federal committee, i.e. one that could be used to pay for a presidential bid. o'malley has been using a political action committee to fund his activities, which will no longer be legal once he is officially a candidate.









5) during the call, aides advertised a working lunch on may 21 where supporters can help o<u+2019>malley dial for dollars. they emphasized the need to make a good financial showing before<u+00a0>a june 30 reporting deadline.









6) supporters on the conference call were told of two key members of o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s financial team: terry lierman, a former maryland democratic party chairman, as treasurer; and martin knott, a baltimore-area businessman, as finance chairman.









7) o<u+2019>malley has further expanded his press staff in recent days. a tweet sent out by smith earlier this week announcing the latest two hires -- both females -- referred to o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s <u+201c>#ladyboss press team.<u+201d>









8) last week, o<u+2019>malley<u+2019>s pac announced the addition of its latest high-profile member:<u+00a0>national political director karine jean-pierre.









9) o<u+2019>malley, joined by jean-pierre and other aides, made a daylong swing wednesday through new hampshire, the nation<u+2019>s first presidential primary state.









10) o<u+2019>malley's entourage that day included media consultant jimmy siegel and a camera crew. siegel, who worked for hillary rodham clinton during the 2008 presidential cycle, specializes in campaign-style videos.









of course, there's always the possibility that all of this could be for naught. as longtime o<u+2019>malley watchers may recall, in 2002, when he was mayor of<u+00a0>baltimore,<u+00a0>o<u+2019>malley held a press conference to announce<u+00a0>he would not run for governor that year, avoiding a primary fight<u+00a0>with well-known democrat kathleen kennedy townsend.









as one longtime o<u+2019>malley associate put it thursday, however, <u+201c>there<u+2019>s a different vibe this time.<u+201d> look for an email from o<u+2019>malley for confirmation.
<u+2018>paid for by o<u+2019>malley for president<u+2019> <u+2014> and 9 other signs o<u+2019>malley is in
noauthor