O'Malley attracts intimate crowds amid snowstorm

WEBSTER CITY, Ia. — A handful of Iowans who drove through blowing snow to see Martin O'Malley got an intimate chance to talk over coffee about issues ranging from climate change to ISIS.

The former Maryland governor and Democratic presidential hopeful was the first candidate from either party to return to Iowa following the Christmas holiday, speaking to more than 100 people Sunday at the Des Moines Social Club about immigration and foreign policy. The crowds were smaller at Monday morning stops amid a winter storm that was expected to pile at least 8 inches of snow in swaths of the state.

O'Malley sat in the middle of five potential caucusgoers inside the 2nd Street Emporium in Webster City for what felt more like a dinner table conversation than a campaign event. He explained the management style he embraced as Baltimore's mayor and as a governor, and at one point asked the campaign's state director, Jake Oeth, to get his iPad from their vehicle so he could show a graphic around the table.

"It used to be that the leader was on top of a hierarchy of command and control," he said, arguing that he'd bring a more collaborative leadership style to the White House. "One of the assets I bring to this race … is that of a modern way of leadership. The nature of leadership has changed in just the last 10 or 15 years."

Monday was the second of a four-day trip through Iowa as the former governor works to build on the 5.7 percent support his long-shot campaign has from potential Iowa caucusgoers, according to a Real Clear Politics polling average.

O'Malley worked to draw distinctions between himself and his rivals, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Fighting climate change is one area where the three candidates for the Democratic nomination offer noticeably different solutions, he said.

O'Malley in June released a plan to power the country's electrical grid from renewable sources alone through efforts that include making buildings more energy efficient.

"People always ask you what's the first thing you do when you're elected president," he said. "My answer to that is to sign an executive order that declares this movement to a 100 percent clean electric energy grid by 2050 a national security and a national economic priority."

While talking about partisan gridlock in Congress during the Obama administration, O'Malley suggested that it would only become worse if Sanders — a self-described democratic socialist — became the party's nominee. But Webster City resident Dave Hilton told O'Malley opponents are misusing the word "socialist" to attack Sanders when, in fact, many of his progressive ideals are resonating with voters.

Hilton, 73, said after the event that he still plans to caucus for O'Malley.

"He's done everything he says, while the others, it's more what they would like to do," Hilton said.

ABOUT THE EVENT

Setting: The 2nd Street Emporium in Webster City and the Coffee Attic in Iowa Falls

Crowd: Five people in Webster City, 12 people in Iowa Falls

Reaction: Two people at the Webster City event said they saw O'Malley's age as a major benefit over his rivals. At 52, he's the youngest Democrat in the race.

What's next: O'Malley had scheduled events in Waterloo and Tama on Monday evening, and will continue his swing through Iowa with stops on Tuesday and Wednesday.