Martin O'Malley has failed to produce the required number of signatures to appear on the Ohio primary ballot.

O’Malley needed 1,000 valid signatures to appear on the 15 March primary ballot. The former Maryland governor’s campaign submitted 1,175 signatures, but only 772 were deemed valid, Josh Eck, a spokesman for the Ohio secretary of state, Jon Husted, told the Associated Press.

“While this news is disappointing, we are exploring all of our options, and Governor O’Malley will campaign vigorously in Ohio,” spokeswoman Haley Morris said in an emailed statement.