Martin O'Malley to drop out of Democratic race

Martin O'Malley dropped out of the presidential race Monday night after eight months of barnstorming Iowa failed to build grassroots support for his underdog candidacy.

The former Maryland governor spent more time in Iowa than either of his rivals during the 2016 election season. But he came in a distant third in Iowa's Democratic caucuses and languished in the polls.

O'Malley's wife, Katie, and their four children stood by him onstage Monday night at Wooly's, a music venue in the East Village, for the announcement. More than 100 supporters stood in front of the stage cheering as he repeated lines from the campaign trail.

"Look, gang," he said. "In conclusion, there is no conclusion. This fight continues. We fought very, very hard in order to give the people a choice, and the people have made their choice tonight. It was hard to get over that threshold here, and I know that those numbers don't reflect all of the hard work that you did. But we have driven this debate."

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O'Malley campaigned aggressively on immigration reform, gun control and climate change, and he became a critical player in recent days. With Democratic caucuses requiring candidates to reach 15 percent viability, O'Malley's supporters became coveted by both the Clinton and Sanders camps.

But O'Malley had implored supporters at recent campaign stops across the state to "hold strong," urging them to recruit friends and neighbors to keep his campaign alive.

An acoustic guitar became a campaign staple for the former governor, and he routinely led sing-alongs of "This Land is Your Land" or other tunes. He left the stage without a song Monday night, but shook hands with the crowd.

On Monday night, he visited a Democratic precinct filled with students at Drake University. Supporters erupted in applause when it was announced he would make a visit.

"You guys are generous, you are compassionate, you are truthful and you are fearless about the future," he told the crowd packed into a classroom at Olin Hall. "And that's the goodness that we need to call forward."

O'Malley's Iowa campaign: