Event to Air on MSNBC
Columbia, SC – Today, The South Carolina Democratic Party and Congressman James E. Clyburn announced plans to host a forum for Democratic Presidential Primary candidates November 6 at Winthrop University ahead of South Carolina’s First in the South Primary on February 27. MSNBC will serve as the official media partner for this event.
“We’re thrilled to provide an opportunity for candidates to speak to South Carolina voters,” said SCDP Chair Jaime Harrison. “This forum will allow candidates to share their visions for our country and show that Democrats are focused on giving working and middles class families an opportunity to succeed.”
“I often discuss the importance of South Carolina hosting the First in the South primary and adding a Presidential Forum to the calendar adds another component to the important discussion going on during this election cycle,” said Congressman James E. Clyburn. “This forum will give candidates an additional opportunity to focus on the issues that matter to voters in South Carolina and highlight the diversity of the Democratic Party.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz added “I’m thrilled that the South Carolina Democratic Party and Congressman Clyburn are hosting this important Democratic presidential candidate forum and that we were able to help. This will be one of many opportunities to hear from our party’s candidates. While Democrats are talking about strengthening the middle class and their plans to move the country forward, Republicans are promising to take us backward to the failed trickle down policies of the past. Our candidates will continue to make that contrast clear in South Carolina.”
Additional details about times, locations, partnerships, and tickets will be announced soon.
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Democratic National Committee
November 6, 2015
DNC Chair on Tonight's Democratic Candidates Forum
“Tonight’s First in the South Democratic Candidates Forum on MSNBC was a breath of fresh air, with serious candidates showing respect for the American people and addressing voters like adults. On the same day we found out the economy added another 268,000 private-sector jobs during the month of October and that wages grew this month at the fastest pace since 2009, all three Democratic candidates showed they understand the link between national policies and the hard working people they affect. Simply put, Democrats are ready to govern, and that’s a stark contrast with a Republican field that blames media bias to distract from their lack of answers or serious proposals on, well, everything.” – DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
O'Malley for President
November 6, 2015
What People Are Saying about Martin O’Malley at the First in the South Democratic Candidates Forum
“Did Well Tonight”… “Sharp, Impassioned Answers” … “Helluva Progressive Record” … “Big Applause”… “Deserves More Attention” … “He Crushed Maddow 'Stunt Questions'” … “Freaking Awesome” … “On Fire Tonight” … “Clear He Should Be the Next President” … “Very Well Spoken and Compelling”... “Burned the Bern”... “Clean Message, Clear Vision” … “Trend Alert: 'Martin O'Malley'”
Arnie Arnesen @pchowder: #MartinOmalleyis knocking it out of the park-virtually every answer is thoughtful, smart and connects to a wide range of voters #nhpolitics
US Trenders @USTrenders: Trend Alert: 'Martin O'Malley'. More trends at trendinalia.com/twitter-trendi
Philip Rucker @PhilipRucker: O’Malley did pretty well tonight: Some tough questions, but he gave sharp, impassioned answers and drew contrasts with Clinton & Sanders.
Jeremy Borden @Jeremy_Borden: Big applause for @MartinOMalley comment on for-profit prisons.
Jennifer Epstein @jeneps: O'Malley Burned the Bern (h/t @kathykiely)
E McMorris-Santoro@EvanMcSan: @JuddLegum he's doing pretty well here
Jennifer Epstein @jeneps: O'Malley getting very animated about Bush leading U.S. into Iraq and the ballooning debt
Peter Nicholas @PeterNicholas3:
.@MartinOMalley likes Rachel Maddow's phrase "Getting things done." Repeats it a few times. His way of underscoring his executive experience
Peter Nicholas @PeterNicholas3: @MartinOMalley channels Pope Francis in his speech to Congress, invoking Thomas Merton.
Michael Lewis @michaeljlewis75: I think O'Malley has had a real strong start. Clear, concise answers to Maddow's questions.#DemDebate
Dan Merica @danmericaCNN: O'Malley's first applause line: "We need to speak to the zeitgeist, that spirit in the young people in our country."
Ari Melber @AriMelber: O'Malley
says for profit prisons are "appalling, immoral," drawing applause, says America is about Statute of Liberty, not a wall ala Trump
Sam Frizell @Sam_Frizell: "The
enduring symbol of our country is not the barbed wire fence it is the Statue of Liberty." -One of O'Malley's fav stump lines gets claps
E McMorris-Santoro @EvanMcSan: O'Malley is coming out swinging at Hillary Clinton in South Carolina
Ken Thomas @KThomasDC: Probably the biggest jab O'Malley has taken against Sanders in a big venue.
Monica Alba @AlbaMonica: .@MartinOMalley having fun with those last few questions #MSNBC2016 #kilt
Alex Seitz-Wald @aseitzwald: Headline of the night: Martin O'Malley owns a kilt.
Sam Frizell @Sam_Frizell: YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT A LEGACY?? HERE'S A LEGACY
Trash God Isabel @STlCKTOYOURGUNS: martin o'malley is currently trending. this is what i like to see
Nikki Levy @Nikki_Levy: No
denying @MartinOMalley has helluva progressive record in MD: Same-sex marriage, no capital punish., ban assault weapons, etc. #DemForum
Sara Ackerman @saramikaila: O'Malley freezed university education as Gov. I personally benefited from that. #Maddow #DemForum
Ken Finton @kenfinton:
Martin O'Malley finally gets heard thanks to Rachel Maddow's forum on MSNBC on right now. He is very well spoken and compelling
Sam @Samfrommaine: Martin O'Malley is really, really good in this format. #msnbc #DemForum
TRevSaidSo @TRevSaidSo: Martin O'Malley's candidacy is looking good in this forum. He's doing great. #DemForum
Raymond Vince @RayVince:
Gov. Martin O'Malley doing a great job on Dem. Forum on MSNBC with Rachel. Such a contrast with GOP. Not even got to Bernie & Hillary.
Brannon Bollinger @bwaredawolf: Wow...Martin O'Malley is killing it...MSNBC #DemocraticCandidatesForum
Game of Thornes @GeoffThorne:
Every time Martin O'Malley gets more than two seconds to talk, it's clear he should be the next president. Tell me why he shouldn't.
Lori Magno @ModaMags:
Props to Martin O'Malley - he crushed @maddow 'stunt questions' - "I reject the premise of you question!' #highspeedrail #msnbc
Josh Decker @guitarpianodude: Man. Martin O'Malley is freaking awesome! Seriously, I really enjoy listening to that man speak.
RB Blair @TuxcedoCat: Martin O'Malley did great. He should be a contender! Having opponents isn't a problem. Having opposition is. #DEMs debate.
John DesMarteau MD @John_DesMarteau: I bet you Martin O'Malley gets a little bump from his time on stage with Rachel Maddow in Rock Hill, SC.
Robert Recklein @RRecklein:
I really like @MartinOMalley. Really smart guy who accomplished a lot in office. He deserves more attention. #OMalley2016 #MSNBCDebate
Crystal Thomison @crystalthomison: Good responses from crowd with @MartinOMalley's statements. #FirstInTheSouth
Leah S. Cowan @leahcowan: @MartinOMalley mentions #climatechange, though briefly, in opening response. Hat tip.
Scott Madison @ATXScott: Truth is, @MartinOMalley got ALOT of great progressive things done as governor. #FirstInTheSouth #MSNBC2016 #maddow #DemForum
Lalita Amos, PsyD2B @LLAmos: Looking hard at Martin O'Malley. I'm not feeling the either/or, Sanders/Clinton dichotomy.
Zac Goldstein @ZLGoldstein: .@MartinOMalley is presenting himself as future generation of @TheDemocrats. #MSNBC2016
Steven @steven_brooklyn: Damn. @MartinOMalley is on fire tonight. #DemForum
Robert Recklein @RRecklein:
I really like @MartinOMalley. Really smart guy who accomplished a lot in office. He deserves more attention. #OMalley2016 #MSNBCDebate
Nick Sones @NickSones: #OMalley killing it on @MSNBC right now… #OMalley2016 #newleadership
Brian Wahby @bwahby: “..since we’re the party that actually believes in science“ #greatline @MartinOMalley
Anna Douglas @ADouglasHerald: Move to for-profit prisons in America is "appalling," O'Malley says. Crowd liked that here at Winthrop.
Kamgirl @Kamgirl47: #DemForum I'm a Hillary supporter but I must say, I'm impressed with O'Malley. I really like his style. @MartinOMalley
Justin Gibson @JGibsonDem: .@MartinOMalley standing in contrast to both Clinton and Sanders: "I'm a lifelong Democrat." #MSNBC2016 #MaddowForum
K. Jackson, Director @marinewifechi: #MartinoMalley #MSNBC2016 is killing it! #POTUS @MartinOMalley @maddow
Dan Zak @MrDanZak: Martin O'Malley brought a Martin O'Malley to a knife fight.
Dub Leahy @dubleahy: This Martin O' Malley guy is pretty legit.
Lindsay Macchio @Lindsay4daWinsy: I think Martin O'Malley is a great candidate tbh
barry silverstein @barrybits: Martin O'Malley just rocked it in democratic forum! #DemForum #MSNBC2016 #RachelMaddow
Firestyle @FirestyleJutsu: Martin O'Malley was very impressive. Clean message, clear vision
Kelly F @kelfitzy: Martin O'Malley is proving tonight why he should get a lot more coverage than he has been getting #DemocraticCandidatesForum
O'Malley for President
November 6, 2015
What People Are Saying about Martin O’Malley Powerful Performance Tonight
“Star Performance Tonight. Poised,
Smart Wise” … “Hit His Stride” … “Only
Individual Candidate to Trend” … “Came Off as Polished,
Confident, and Authoritative”... “Breakthrough Moment” … “Found His
Footing” … “Comes Out Swinging” … “Really Shined” … “Best20 Minutes of
O’Malley’s Campaign”
MSNBC Headline: Martin
O’Malley Finds His Stride in South CarolinaThe Hill Headline: O’Malley: Unlike Sanders, I’m Not Disloyal
International Business Times Headline: Martin O'Malley Finds His Footing at MSNBC South Carolina Event with Rachel Maddow
Talking Points Memo Headline: O'Malley Hits Clinton on Keystone: 'Leadership Isn't About Following Polls'
Bustle Headline: Rachel Maddow's Democratic Forum Puts Martin O'Malley Climate Change Position Front And Center
Raw Story Headline: Martin O’Malley Comes Out Swinging against Sanders and Clinton’s Progressive Bonafides
Breitbart Headline: Martin O’Malley: ‘Our Economy Isn’t Money, It’s People’
Chris Matthews (Video): “I thought Governor O'Malley was very good tonight. I think this is a very good format for him. Very close in with Rachel.”
MSNBC: “Martin O’Malley finally found his stride Friday night as he fielded questions from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow at the First in the South Democratic Presidential forum here.
…
“He deftly addressed some of his biggest vulnerabilities on racial unrest in Baltimore and the loss of his hand-picked successor for the governorship in 2014. And he took some shots at his Democratic rivals, frontrunner Hillary Clinton and challenger Bernie Sanders.
…
“And O’Malley dinged Clinton for coming to her opposition to the Keystone XL popeline later than him, saying she got there ‘just last week.’ O’Malley also found time to throw red meat to the crowd. ‘The reason we have the debt is because George Bush led us into war and didn’t ask us
to pay for it along the way,’ he said to applause.
…
“And when it came time for lighter questions, O’Malley was game – and even acknowledged the he owns a kilt, but said it was a gift.”
...
"Was charismatic, he spoke confidently and extemporaneously, and he tackled every question more or less head-on ... the O’Malley team has to feel happy with how things went."
The Guardian: “O’Malley… joined Sanders in attacking Clinton for her hesitance in opposing the Keystone XL pipeline. O’Malley contrasted his longstanding opposition to the pipeline to Clinton’s slowness to stake a position.
...
“The former Maryland governor, who had one of his strongest performances of the campaign, also received a big round of applause for using a line that he has frequently used on the stump, saying ‘contrary to Donald Trump, the enduring symbol of our country is not barbed wire fence – it’s the Statue of Liberty.’”
Talking Points Memo:
“Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley took a swing at Democratic 2016 frontrunner Hillary Clinton, by suggesting her opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline was politically driven.
Bustle: “O'Malley discussed climate change at Rachel Maddow's Democratic forum, and he laid out his vision of how progressives should tackle political messaging about it … O'Malley answer was rooted in optimism about emerging and near-future clean energy technologies, and in a younger generation … O'Malley also made it clear that he doesn't want to wait on addressing climate change, but wants to press the issue. In other words, the availability of more oil, or other such dirty energies, is no excuse to wait on pioneering newer and cleaner ones.
…
“It's no surprise that O'Malley came off as polished, confident, and authoritative on this issue — he's been pushing a high-priority climate change policy for months. One of his central long-term goals? America running onentirely clean energy by 2050.”
Alex Seitz-Wald @aseitzwald: Interesting note from our social team: O'Malley was the only individual candidate to trend on Twitter tonight.
Intl. Business Times @IBTimes: Martin O'Malley was first up on MSNBC's #DemForum, and he found his footing http://bit.ly/1RDl2xJ
Alex Seitz-Wald @aseitzwald: 1.) The best 20 minutes of Martin O'Malley's campaign. msnbc.com/msnbc/martin-o…
Joy Reid @JoyAnnReid: So far it seems both O'Malley & Sanders have done themselves some good in the #DemForum - very important for relative unknowns. #MSNBC2016
Ruth Sherlock: .@MartinOMalley put in a star performance tonight at #DemocraticForum: poised, smart, wise. Hard to see why polls are as they are. #USA
Marty Dunleavy @LaborIrishDem: Agree @MartinOMalley had a bit of a breakthrough tonight
Jared Yates Sexton @JYSexton: O'Malley holding court on abolishing death penalty, reforming police. pic.twitter.com/KYH2bdbxXo
MaryAlice Parks @maryaliceparks: O'Malley still hitting Clinton in spin room says SecClinton gave "triangulation" disjointed answer on death penalty pic.twitter.com/hroYAMPOmn
Ben Jacobs @Bencjacobs: O'Malley says "we need a president who is not on side of Wall Street like Hillary Clinton
MaryAlice Parks @maryaliceparks: Both Sanders and O'Malley hit Clinton for coming late to Keystone opinion at MSNBC forum
Jonathan McFadden @JmcfaddenObsGov: .@Martinomalley takes media questions in the spin room, says he rejects "racist rants" from #GOP
November 7, 2015
Praise for Martin O’Malley at the First in the South Democratic Candidates Forum
“Appeared Relaxed, Focused and Knowledgeable” … “Smart, Funny, Capable”... “Came Alive” … “Best 20 Minutes of His Campaign Thus Far”...“[O’Malley] Had That Spotlight and it was Terrific”... “Smart and Passionate”...“Strongest Moment of the Night was His Answer on #BlackLivesMatter”
“If anybody, you know outperformed expectations, I think it was Martin O'Malley..He looked smart, he looked funny, he looked capable...I really think it was the best 20 minutes of his campaign thus far.
Alex Witt (Video): “What I took away was, I want to hear more now from Martin O'Malley. He had that spotlight and it was terrific.”
Alex Seitz-Wald (Video):
“Martin O'Malley...I do kind of think that he is an undervalued stock right now, and he hasn't gotten much attention, but now that there is three candidates in the race, he could be due for a little bit of a moment. I talked to Congressman James Clyburn who is the most powerful
Democrat in the state here, and he told me that he thought that O'Malley did well by himself.”
Eric Bradner (Video):
“Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland Governor and another Democratic candidate were both sort of portraying Clinton as a newcomer, you know, the new kid on the liberal block, right? Someone who's just taken positions on these issues that they've been out in front of for months
or even years.”
MSNBC: “In a one-on-one setting with Maddow, [O’Malley] came alive.
…
“Hehad strong moments, including on the Iraq War and a shot he took at Sanders for being a newcomer to the Democratic Party. O’Malley also funny moments discussing a kilt that was given to him.
…
“Rep. James Clyburn, the most powerful Democrat in South Carolina, who is staying neutral in the primary, said the former Maryland governor was one of his biggest takeaways from the night. ‘I think O’Malley did himself well,’ Clyburn told MSNBC”.
Esquire:
“O'Malley seemed to have been waiting for this kind of opportunity. He was relaxed and funny. Allowed to unwind his generational pitch, he talked about how young voters believe that climate change is real, and about how they think traditional attitudes toward LGBT citizens are ridiculous relics of a bygone age...He got a big hand. The man had some fun.”
MSNBC: “O’Malley ... appeared relaxed, focused and knowledgeable – insisting he, not
Sanders, was the more credible progressive alternative to Clinton.”
The Guardian: “[O’Malley] was smart and passionate.”
WKBW:
“Beyond the substantive issues impacting the country, Martin O'Malley came out swinging— hitting both Clinton and Sanders. ‘It does not hold that a return to the old ideologies of the past or debating the pros and cons of socialism is going to solve our problems. Nor will declaring all Republicans our enemies help us bring people together,’ O'Malley said about his opponents.”
NPR:
“The former Maryland governor ... didn't hold back in his criticisms of Clinton, and also claimed she had just recently opposed the Keystone XL pipeline when it became politically expedient to do so. But he also broadened his attacks to take on Sanders, questioning the political independent and self-described Democratic socialist's commitment to the Democratic Party, and even alluding to the fact that Clinton had been a Republican in her college years.”
CNN:
“O'Malley got in on the hits, saying Clinton got around to opposing the pipeline ‘just last week’ while he, too, had been opposed for months … O'Malley didn't train all his fire on Clinton, however. He also dinged Sanders for seeking a primary opponent to run against Obama in 2012.
Bloomberg:
“O'Malley was the only one of the three candidates to visit the spin room after the forum and he continued his attacks on his two rivals ... as he answered reporters' questions.”
People Magazine:
“The most unusual thing in Martin O'Malley's closet? A kilt! And that's just one of the many revealing ... questions that host Rachel Maddow posed.”
Vincent Sheheen@vincentsheheen: Did you see my friend Governor @MartinOMalley last night? He did great! http://eepurl.com/bFjnmv
Dan Merica @danmericaCNN: O'Malley's strongest moment of the night was his answer on #BlackLivesMatter, race & Baltimore. cnn.com/2015/11/06/pol…
Dan Merica @danmericaCNN: O'Malley also opened up a new front on Sanders: Proposing a liberal challenger against Obama in 2012. cnn.com/2015/11/06/pol…