The Associated Press, The Washington Post and other outlets say former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley is suspending his bid for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
O'Malley told supporters in Iowa Monday night that he knew he was in for a "tough fight," but that he doesn't shy away from tall odds.
"I felt very firmly that our country was scanning the horizon looking for new possibilities and new leadership," he said.
O'Malley, who served as mayor of Baltimore before securing the state's top job , seldom registered significant support in national polls. He was a distant third behind former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders.
A veteran of Colorado Sen. Gary Hart's presidential campaigns in the 1980s, O'Malley sought to portray himself as a fresh face for a party searching for new ideas. He launched some of the toughest critiques of the race, accusing Clinton of being on "three sides" of the gun control debate and offering "weak tea" when it came to policing Wall Street.
But the ex-governor struggled to raise money and was mired in single-digit polls for months, despite an active operation in Iowa and New Hampshire. His campaign was forced to accept federal matching funds in the fall and he failed to become Clinton's chief alternative as Sanders tapped into the party's liberal base.
Along the way, O'Malley's campaign dealt with poor timing and some bad breaks. His campaign kickoff was complicated by riots in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, bringing fresh scrutiny of O'Malley's law enforcement record as the city's mayor.
More recently, Anne Arundel County prosecutors are probing the state's heavily-discounted sale of governor's mansion furniture to O'Malley upon his exit. A campaign spokeswoman called the accusations of impropriety by the candidate a "bogus political attack."
He entered the race after Sanders, who quickly generated massive crowds around the country and a loyal following in the early states. Sanders' appeal with liberals — and his online fundraising machine — gave O'Malley little room to become the face of the party's smaller anti-Clinton wing.
At a forum in Arizona last July, O'Malley's appearance was disrupted by Black Lives Matters' activists and he told the crowd, "Black lives matter. White lives matter. All lives matter," drawing heckles from the crowd. He later apologized, saying he meant to say that "we're all in this together."
O'Malley was critical of the Democratic National Committee's decision to hold only six presidential debates — including four before the Iowa caucuses — and repeatedly argued that party chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was limiting the debates to benefit Clinton.
He performed well in the televised debates but it never amounted to a marked boost in poll numbers or fundraising. In the first debate, when he told Clinton a no-fly zone in Syria would be a mistake, she retorted that she was "very pleased" he had endorsed her 2008 presidential campaign, effectively neutralizing his attack.
Maryland's top lawmakers, including Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin, sided with Clinton and O'Malley won the endorsement of just one member of Congress — Rep. Eric Swallwell of California.
Even his personal ties weren't persuasive. Mikulski backed Clinton again even though O'Malley had been an aide on the senator's 1986 campaign and his mother worked as a receptionist in Mikulski's office for years. Mikulski often said simply, "I'm a Hillary person."
He also had few friends in the Democratic National Committee leadership. Though they are prohibited from publicly endorsing candidates, O'Malley spoke often and at debate podiums about the party's debate scheduling, which often led to said forums being scheduled at little-watched times. But in a statement, DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz thanked O'Malley for his leadership in Baltimore and Maryland, and said the party is "proud" of his campaign.
“His voice and energy will be crucial to whoever emerges as our nominee, and we look forward to having him on the campaign trail again in support of our shared ideals," she said in a statement.
As for Maryland's other presidential candidate, Republican Ben Carson is so far making a stronger showing in Iowa, but is still headed home, with his top spokesman saying the former neurosurgeon has laundry to do and wanted to leave Iowa ahead of a forecast snowstorm.
Statement Martin O'Malley Sent In Fundraising Email
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.
The Associated Press and WBAL-TV 11 contributed to this report.
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