Martin O'Malley Suspends Presidential Campaign

DES MOINES, IA — Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has suspended his presidential campaign after he finished a disappointing third in Iowa in its first-in-the nation caucuses Monday night.

With 93 percent of Iowa precincts counted so far, O’Malley had only 1 percent of the vote.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who finished in a virtual tie with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the win in Iowa, thanked O’Malley for his candidacy.

“It’s never easy to lose, I’ve lost more than one campaign,” Sanders said. “But he should know he contributed a whole lot to the dialogue. He ran an issue-oriented campaign and won the respect of the American people.”

The Democratic National Committee praised O’Malley for his focus on issues.

The DNC statement said in part:

“From the moment Governor O’Malley entered this race, he campaigned with heart and with a singular focus on building a better future for American families. And because he campaigned substantively on the issues that matter most to the people – protecting the environment, making college more affordable, growing the middle class, and leveling the playing field for hardworking Americans – he has ensured that the choice on Election Day, regardless of who our nominee is, will be crystal clear. We must elect a Democrat as the 45th President of the United States.

O’Malley’s campaign sent this message to supporters Monday night:

I wanted you to be first to know: tonight, I am suspending my campaign for the presidency.

Iowa has been like a second home for me this past year. From college campuses to family farms, I have had the privilege of getting to know Iowans whose passion for our democracy is unmatched.

I want to thank everyone who came out to our events, and lent me their ear. Everyone who went out to caucus for me tonight, and lent me their voice. I give you my deepest gratitude.

Together we all stood up for working people, for new Americans, for the future of the Earth and the safety of our children. We put these issues at the front of our party’s agenda—these are the issues that serve the best interests of our nation.

The road has been long, but our course has been true. A great many people have put their time and talents into my campaign and I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart.

Whoever our nominee is, we must all hold strong, together.

You and I, must hold strong for that mom and dad who are working 3 jobs between them and sweating about how they’re going to pay the bills.

We must hold strong for the future of all of America’s children—black and white—for a country with equal justice under the law and equal opportunity for all.

We must hold strong for our senior citizens who have given their all for our country and are left now to choose between food and medicine.

We must hold strong for Latinos and Muslims and everyone defending us against the demagogues.

We must hold strong for the future of Americas cities home of our greatest challenges and greatest opportunities.

We must hold strong to our beliefs. A belief in the dignity of every person. A belief in our own responsibility to advance the common good we share. We all must hold strong to what this country truly is, can be, and should be, and must be.

Thank you for your support,

Martin O’Malley

For his part, O’Malley told KCCI-TV in Des Moines early Monday that he encouraged his supporters to hold strong and fight for viability.

Liz Garst, a prominent Coon Rapids Democrat, told Bloomberg View the caucus process favors Democrat Hillary Clinton. Garst is an O’Malley supporter, but doesn’t expect him achieve the viability threshold. If that’s the case, Garst said she would reluctantly join the Clinton group.

The former Baltimore mayor (1999-2007) and Maryland governor (2007-2015) joined the race for the presidential nomination in May.