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Democratic U.S. presidential candidates Martin O'Malley (left), Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders participate in a presidential candidates debate in Charleston, South Carolina, Jan. 17, 2016. The same candidates participated eight nights later in a forum in Des Moines, Iowa. REUTERS

Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley stepped away from the campaign trail Monday night for a town hall forum hosted by CNN at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The town hall comes one week before the Iowa voters head to the state's caucus. At the forum, the three candidates appeared on stage at different times with moderator Chris Cuomo, a CNN anchor. Each candidate received around a half-hour to answer questions from Cuomo and the audience.

“We are honored to partner with CNN on their town hall with our three fantastic Democratic candidates,­” Dr. Andy McGuire, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, told CNN. "With this event airing just one week before the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, it’s an incredible opportunity for Iowans to see our candidates detail their plans to move our country forward and their vision for Iowa and the nation.­

Town halls differ from sanctioned debates in that they provide a more informal setting for candidates to discuss their views. But as with any other major campaign forum or debate, viewers took to social media to share reactions and quotes from the candidates. Some of the Republican candidates, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, couldn't hold back from sharing their opinions to the forum on social media. Below are some of the best tweets during the town hall on Twitter:

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