Martin O’Malley managed to qualify for the fourth democratic primary debate, although previous polls suggested he may not make the cut.
The low-polling underdog candidate will join Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton on the debate stage in South Carolina Sunday night, for the final debate before the first ballots are cast in Iowa and New Hampshire.
In order to qualify for the debate, candidates had to reach an average of 5 percent in ether Iowa, New Hampshire or South Carolina in five of the most recent polls recognized by NBC published before Jan. 14. While Clinton and Sanders both are extremely popular nationally, O’Malley currently has 2.3 percent of the vote. But, the former Maryland governor does slightly better in Iowa, where he polls at 5.2 percent, thus qualifying him to take the stage.
Despite that victory, his campaign is flailing financially and is now accepting public funding as a result. In addition, O’Malley failed to qualify for the Ohio primary, and only polls at 3 percent in New Hampshire.
