In 2003, I was a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park and Republican Bob Ehrlich had just been sworn in as Governor. Governor Ehrlich immediately took an ax to public education, cutting funding to state universities, and to add insult to injury, raising tuition for students.

Under those conditions, I could barely finish college and go on to law school. I still remember the countless notices from the bursar's office: "This is your last warning, if you do not pay your tuition, you will be dropped from classes."

I and thousands of college students facing similar pressure needed someone who would relieve the burden. Fortunately, Mayor O’Malley became Gov. O’Malley and he kept his word to restore funding of the state's university system and reduce the cost of tuition for students.

Gov. O’Malley expanded education funding even during the height of the recession, and Maryland public schools were ranked No. 1 in the nation five years in a row. I saw first-hand how his accomplishments transformed the state and helped my generation.

Once again, millennials need O'Malley. Forty-one million young Americans are mired in $1.3 trillion in student loan debt, leaving them stuck in financial quicksand and preventing or delaying them from taking the job they want, buying a house and starting a family. Millions more in college and on their way to college face steep tuition costs and dim job prospects upon graduation.