Sen. Bernie Sanders talks with his wife, Jane Sanders, before taking the stage at a campaign event in Perry, Iowa.
Danny Wilcox Frazier/VII
Allison McCann
O’Malley supporters show up for the Brown and Black Forum at Drake University
DES MOINES – Given that he’s hovering at just around 5 percent support in Iowa, many here have counted out Martin O’Malley, even going so far as to say he could win zero delegates. And yet there wasn’t a Clinton or Sanders sign in sight outside the entrance to tonight’s Brown and Black Forum at Drake University, where candidates will address issues that affect minority voters. There were dozens of O’Malley supporters who braved the cold temperatures to pledge their support to the Democratic candidate.
They had traveled from as close as Des Moines and as far as Minneapolis, holding signs in both English and Spanish that touted O’Malley’s record on immigration issues and his plans to expand social security.
From left to right: Marco Alvarez, 21, Dustin McCoy-Simmonds, 24, Abeena Abraham, 19, Tania Malagon, 25.
Abeena Abraham, 19, said she was here tonight supporting O’Malley because “he’s the only candidate who’s had a consistent record supporting DREAMers [Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors], making sure that we had in-state tuition in Maryland.” A student of Rochester Community and Technical College, Marco Alvarez, 21, said he was here in support of O’Malley because of the former Baltimore mayor’s strong stance on immigration reform. “I’m a huge advocate for immigration reform and so that’s why I support him,” he said.
