Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley speaks to Iowans at the West Des Moines Public Library on Jan. 2, 2016. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)



A blue politician is teetering near the red zone.

The next Democratic presidential debate’s stricter qualifying criteria could pose a problem for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.

NBC News announced Friday that participating candidates must poll at a minimum of 5 percent nationally or in Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina to participate in the January 17 event in Charleston, S.C.

O’Malley is polling at 5 percent in Iowa, based on the polls NBC is recognizing. He currently qualifies by the skin of his teeth.

The O’Malley campaign has struggled to gain traction as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders fire up different parts of the Democratic electorate.

To make matters worse, O’Malley did not gather enough signatures to qualify for the March primary ballot in Ohio last week and missed the deadline to file paperwork to be a write-in candidate this week.

Martin O’Malley goes casual for Iowa voters, Jan. 2, 2016. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

O’Malley’s woes mirror those of former Democratic candidates. Virginia Sen. Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee have already dropped out of the race.

Joseph O’Hern, the caucus director for O’Malley, recently accused the mainstream media of wanting the Democratic race to focus exclusively on Sanders and Clinton.

“The national media has a very strong desire to see a two-way race on the Dem side,” O’Hern said, according to Salon. “The Iowa press — they get it. They know what’s going on.”

YouTube is co-hosting the debate and NBC News anchor Lester Holt is set to moderate.

Representatives from the Democratic National Committee and Martin O’Malley for President did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Yahoo News.



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