Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s sleepy campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination got even more somnolent yesterday as the candidate put on a rally where exactly one person showed up.
I suppose I have to be fair to O’Malley and include the fact that there was a snowstorm last night and only the most committed political junkies would have braved the elements to attend a campaign event.
The event, in Tama, IA, was the last event of the evening for O’Malley and he decided to “plow ahead” despite the snow.
A tweet shared by a reporter who was present showed a bearded man, identified only as Kenneth, sitting at a table with O’Malley, who told MSNBC that he was “working on him” but also said people in Iowa “want to see the whole campaign play out” before deciding on a candidate.
“So I wasn’t surprised that he was uncommitted,” O’Malley said. “But I was glad he took the time to come out in the snow to see me. We almost canceled that last event but we were out there anyway, so we plowed through.”
The uncommitted voter told the candidate that he had the strongest résumé of the three Democrats seeking the nomination, according to Beckman’s report. “I give you a lot of credit for coming out here,” Kenneth told O’Malley. “I’m glad you took the time.”
Should O’Malley be admired for going ahead with an event that cost him precious resources to attend so that he could speak to one, lone voter whose mind wasn’t changed? The candidate is not exactly flush with cash right now, which argues against any unnecessary expenditures. But perhaps publicity about the candidate showing up in a snowstorm for a single voter might impress some Iowans who expect to press the flesh of their future president.
So, in the end, whatever it cost the campaign to get the candidate to Tama might turn out to be money well spent.
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