What People Are Saying about Martin O’Malley's Strong Performance in First Debate
“ Clearly Won the #DemDebate” … “Hit It Out of the Park” … “Certainly Made A Mark” … “Poised Answers” … “Elicit Big Cheers from the Audience” … “Policies Are Strong” … “A Strong, Sustained Showing” … “Will Get A Bump” … “Furthest in Articulating a Specific Plan” … “Strong, Clear, Compassionate and Presidential” … “Only One on Stage with Proven Track Record” … “O’Malley Helped Himself”
USA Today Headline: O'Malley Makes Himself Heard over Debate Din
The Fiscal Times Headline: O’Malley Proves He Belongs on Presidential Stage
New York Times Headline: Attacking Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley Cites a Need for ‘New Leadership’
New York Times Headline: Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley Go After Bernie Sanders on Guns
WTSP Headline: 1st Democratic Debate a win for Hillary, Sanders, O’Malley stand out
Bustle Headline: Martin O’Malley’s Closing Statements Were Thoughtful, Touching, & A Fitting Way To End The Debate
Refinery29 Headline: Martin O'Malley Totally Nailed This One Answer
Herald Current Headline: O’Malley Goes After Sanders on Guns: Stop ‘Pandering to the NRA’!
Bustle Headline: Donald Trump Is A “Carnival Barker,” Martin O’Malley Says, Which Pretty Much Confirms What We've Been Thinking
The Street Headline: O'Malley Calls for a Reinstatement of Glass-Steagall at #DemDebate
Huffington Post Headline: Hillary Clinton, Martin O'Malley Love To Hate The NRA
Fox News Headline: Clinton and O'Malley Pummel Sanders on Gun Control Laws
Anderson Cooper: “Governor O'Malley certainly made a mark and for a lot of people who had no idea who he is.”
SE Cupp: “I think O’Malley helped himself ... I think his constant drum beat of ‘well, you like that policy? I did it in Maryland. You like that? I did it.’ I think that actually worked well … He's got 15 years of executive experience, he likes to say.”
Joan Walsh: “Martin O'Malley did well. Martin O'Malley - what he did was he jumped out of that bottom tier of 1%.”
John King: “I think O'Malley had a relatively strong night.”
Nick Patton Walsh: “O’Malley’s statement that (a Syria no fly zone) is an extraordinarily complex suggestion is in fact right … Is (a no fly zone) practical? Not really.”
Rana Foroohar: “O’Malley articulated something that I think a lot of Americans feel which is that they are sick of intervention in the Middle East. They are sick of the complications of it.”
Bloomberg: “Prepped and passionate ... Hit all the themes of his campaign on both offense and defense, and wedged in some biographical paragraphs and details.”
The Atlantic: “He had several poised answers and managed to elicit big cheers from the audience.”
New York Times: “If Democratic voters are looking for someone who is not part of the same establishment that has been part of gridlock in Washington … Martin O’Malley went straight at that issue.”
Iowa State Daily: "'I think O'Malley's name recognition might go up, and I think he scored some points,' said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science ... Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center, said she thinks O'Malley stood out and had a good closing statement."
The New Republic: "Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley played an interesting and substantive role. He delivered persuasive moral arguments for progressive policy, and provided a strong reminder that just a few weeks ago, eleven Republicans were angling to be the most reactionary and insensitive candidate on their own debate stage."
USA Today: “The former Maryland governor did a good job of matching his progressive credentials against those of both Clinton and Sanders by highlighting his record of passing gun safety legislation and raising the minimum wage. A supporter of paid family leave and climate change legislation, he proudly called out the National Rifle Association for blocking gun control, and pounded on the need for tighter Wall Street regulations.”
CBS: “O’Malley … came out swinging.”
Associated Press: “O'Malley presented himself as a can-do former governor and mayor who has championed an array of progressive causes.”
USA Today: “O’Malley draws distinction with Clinton, who does not want to break up the big banks.”
CNBC: “The former Maryland governor had some strong moments.”
Fox News: “O’Malley argued he passed tougher gun-control laws as a Maryland governor, in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school massacre, saying he did it in a state with large rural districts inhabited by many gun-owners.”
Fusion: “O’Malley, who passed a comprehensive gun control law in Maryland under his tenure as governor, took [Sanders] to task ... Maryland both has homicide-ridden Baltimore and a vast countryside, he said, and it still got done.”
Associated Press: “O'Malley is using his 90-second closing to rail on the Republicans, mocking their two debates as lessons in intolerance.”
Bustle: “His policies are strong … and he has the legislative record to back up his words … for O'Malley's campaign to truly take off, he needed more than one two good moments: he needed a strong, sustained showing throughout the entire debate, including his closing statement. And, luckily for O'Malley, he achieved it.
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“His closing statement was a fitting culmination of his overall debate performance: strong, succinct, and effective at distinguishing himself from the other candidates. And he appealed to a larger amount of voters — especially youth voters — during an earnest address to the American people.
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“It was an excellent first showing. What O'Malley needed most was exposure, something that the debate clearly provided. His closing statement was one of his strongest moments of the night. If he can capitalize upon that rhetoric and success going into the next debates, he might just find his Fiorina moment.”
The Fiscal Times: “Martin O’Malley deftly maneuvered through the Democratic Party’s inaugural presidential debate to show he at least belongs on the same stage as former secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the insurgent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The former Maryland governor held his own on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues.”
Bustle: “Martin O'Malley is the presidential election's new hero, thanks to a clever, on-the-fly quote from the first Democratic debate on Tuesday night. The former governor of Maryland called Donald Trump a ‘carnival barker,’ saying what we're pretty much all thinking at this point.”
The Atlantic: “O’Malley promises a 100 percent clean electric grid by 2050. On this issue, as on so many others, he aligns remarkably well with the expressed preferences of the Democratic base—better, in fact, than Hillary Clinton.”
Doug Sloan @DougSloan: AGREED. @MartinOMalley did very well. He will get a bump (can we say he had his Fiorina moment?). @VP won't jump in
Fox News @FoxNews: @brithume on #DemDebate: My guess is, that this comes out as a draw between @HillaryClinton & @MartinOMalley.
Gabriel Debenedetti @gdebenedetti: Steyer tells me he's no closer to a formal endorsement — but says O'Malley went furthest in articulating a specific plan tonight
Anonobama @artislifeisart: Nice close by Martin O'Malley. Perfect encapsulation of Democrat ideology vs Republican extremism.
Jim Donovan @jimdonovancbs3: I have to say that O'Malley's closing #DemDebate statement impressed me.
RJ @RJBee_2: Wow. O’Malley made an impact for so little time. twitter.com/nytimes/status…
Michael Moore @MMFlint: Here's what we learned: Chafee's a simple man, O'Malley summed up the nite, Clinton's a capitalist, Sanders a socialist & Webb killed a guy
Kailani Koenig @kailanikm: Martin O'Malley gets applause at Clinton Manchester watch party as he wraps up. #NBC2016 #DemDebate
Sahil Kapur @sahilkapur: The NRA is—deliberately or not—helping O’Malley with attacks like this. twitter.com/NRA/status/654… twitter.com/NRA/status/654…
NRA @NRA .@MartinOMalley forced #guncontrol on Maryland, now he wants to come after the rest of America’s #2A rights. #DemDebate
Dan Merica @danmericaCNN: Biggest applause of the night for O'Malley comes when he says he is proudest of making the National Rifle Association an enemy.
CSGV @CSGV: It was GREAT to see @HillaryClinton & @MartinOMalley cite the #NRA as the enemy they are most proud of at tonight's #DemDebate. No fear.
Michael Steele @MichaelSteele: @MartinOMalley nice closing. #DemDebate
Ryan Laplante @Protentialmn: Great closing statement by @GovernorOMalley
Rugved Deshpande @Ruggers92: @GovernorOMalley clearly won the #DemDebate, was strong, clear, compassionate and Presidential.
Al Giordano @AlGiordano: 5. IF Biden doesn't get in, O'Malley in #DemDebate showed himself ready for prime time. Planted land mines for long game. He was good!
Stevecelano @stevecelano: O’Malley nailed the closing.
Iowa Starting Line @IAStartingLine: Several ppl after Urbandale debate watch say they really liked hearing more from @MartinOMalley, didn't know much on him before #DemDebate
Scott Castro @ScottCastro: I actually respect Martin O’Malley for so concisely answering the biggest enemy that he’s made is the NRA #DemDebate
Marty Mankins @martymankins: My win for the debate tonight: @MartinOMalley #DemDebate
Jeffrey Smith @Smith_RFKennedy: But for real: Martin O'Malley hit it out of the park in his last 90 seconds. #DemDebate
Michael Dresser @michaeltdresser: I think OM did what he needed to do: out debated Bernie. Hillary held her own but had some bad sound bites.
Doug Sloan @DougSloan: So @MartinOMalley proved to be sleeper candidate of #DemDebate. He hit a lot of questions out of the park & nailed his closing @JohnJHarwood
A. Lo @Awwdree_: Must admit @MartinOMalley is only one on stage with proven track record of defending immigrant families. #DemDebate #VLVoices
Tommy Christopher @tommyxtopher: I think @MartinOMalley will be the only one to really gain, Hillary and Bernie will hold. #CNNDebate #DemDebate thedailybanter.com/2015/10/video-
Jackie Koppell @jackiekoppell: Holy crap! @MartinOMalley is going for it on the #guns issue. People be like, "who the hell is this guy?"





















