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The former Maryland governor made the observation Thursday at the Iowa State Fair
The barbs come as Sanders is gaining momentum in the polls
Martin O’Malley thinks Bernie Sanders might have a long-term problem: He’s an avowed socialist.
The former Maryland governor – Sanders’ foremost progressive challenger for the Democratic presidential nomination – made the observation Thursday at the Iowa State Fair.
“I don’t think it’s a problem for the Democratic Party, but it might be a problem long-term for Sen. Sanders,” O’Malley said when asked whether Sanders’s self-declared socialism would be a problem.
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Asked what he meant, O’Malley took another dig at the Vermont senator, suggesting that Sanders joined the Democratic Party just to run for president.
“I am a lifelong Democrat and I believe very deeply in the principles of our party. I believe very deeply in what Franklin Roosevelt was about, what John Kennedy was about, and that’s why I choose to be a Democrat, not just in presidential years, but all the years of my life,” O’Malley said.
