Martin O’Malley ended his presidential campaign on Monday after failing to register in the Iowa caucuses.
“This fight continues,” O’Malley said at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. “We fought very, very hard in order to give the people a choice, and the people made their choice tonight.”
The former Maryland governor used his speech to push for greater gun control, action to address climate change, equal pay for women and other efforts to address income inequality. He expressed gratitude to his supporters and the people of Iowa, but took a moment to denounce the “racist and fascist rhetoric of Donald Trump.”
“We have to hold strong to the values that make us Americans,” said O’Malley as his family stood by his side. “And that, too, was what this tough fight was about.”
O’Malley did not endorse a candidate as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were locked in a virtual tie in the first-in-the-nation voting state.
O’Malley entered the race on May 30, but never cracked double-digits in national polls and struggled to gain traction with more liberal voters as Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, emerged as Clinton’s leading challenger.
Despite the poll numbers, O’Malley competed aggressively in Iowa and New Hampshire, pushing the Democratic National Committee to add debates. He had staked a strong showing in Iowa to fuel his candidacy, which was focused on being an alternative to Clinton. He crisscrossed the state seeking support but was unable to establish a strong foothold before Sanders came in and rallied liberal and young Democrats around his candidacy.