O’Malley draws about 90 supporters to Newton

With the same topics presented on his previous visits to Newton, Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley returned to Jasper County’s largest city Monday.

Even with low poll numbers and the looming possibility he’ll be out of the next round of debates, O’Malley continues to take questions and hit dozens of Iowa communities of all sizes. Monday’s town hall meeting at Uncle Nancy’s Eatery marked his fourth visit to Newton in the past six months.

Speaking to the media after the event, O’Malley reminded everyone that Republican Rick Santorum was polling in single digits shortly before the 2012 Iowa Caucuses, and ended up as the winner.

“The caucus is very dynamic,” said O’Malley, who is polling a very distant third behind Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. “There might be NBC executives or pundits or big money that will have ideas about who the nominee will be, but on caucus night, the people of Iowa might have another idea.”

About 90 people packed into Uncle Nancy’s to hear the former Maryland governor and two-term mayor of Baltimore speak for about 12 minutes, followed by a half hour of questions. He covered many topics as he tries to finish strong over the final three weeks leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, and took a few shots at NBC, which is making the decision about whether to include O’Malley with Sanders and Clinton in Sunday’s debate.

O’Malley has fallen to a point in the polls where he might not be included in this Sunday’s NBC-hosted debate. He must stay at 5 percent or higher in one of the five polls of likely Democratic caucus-goers in Iowa in order to be on stage, and he is hovering near that figure.

“If there can be two tiers in prime time for the Republicans, we can manage a third person on a stage,” O’Malley told the media. “If we had 15 candidates, I would understand.”

Jasper County Democrat Central Committee Chair Taylor Van De Krol, who endorsed O’Malley at an October event in Newton, introduced O’Malley on Monday. O’Malley announced several county officials by name, including Jasper County Auditor Dennis Parrott and county treasurer Doug Bishop, who were both at the event.

Rep. Dan Kelley (D-Newton), who also has endorsed O’Malley, wasn’t in attendance as Monday was the first full day of the 2016 legislative session.

Some of O’Malley’s loudest cheers came when the candidate replied to a query about how to balance taking in refugees versus maintaining national security.

“The symbol of enduring freedom is not a barbed-wire fence,” he said. “It’s the Statue of Liberty.”

Veterans benefits, college debt, gun safety and gun control, cooperate monopolies and mental health were covered as well.

“If you try to address substance abuse without addressing mental health, it’s like playing Whack-a-Mole,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley was recently declared ineligible to be on the ballot for the Ohio primary, as his campaign didn’t submit enough valid petition signatures, but he is on the ballot in 18 other states.

“I hate that we dropped the ball on that,” O’Malley said regarding Ohio. “But we’re going to be on the ballot in the other 49 states, and we added Vermont today.”

Several of those in attendance were from outside Jasper County. Dan Schmitt, of Marshalltown, said O’Malley might have a chance to help explain economics to the masses in laymen’s terms.

“We’ve got to help people understand how the whole process works,” Schmitt said. “Sanders? I don’t mind him. But someone has to help people understand that just making it work for farmers isn’t enough. Prices have to be affordable for everyone.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com