Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz said her party’s debate schedule was designed to “maximize” candidates’ exposure, following accusations that the limited scheduling is aimed at protecting front-runner Hillary Clinton.
“There’s no number of debates that will satisfy everyone,” she told CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday, The Huffington Post reported. “So, I did my best to make sure, along with my staff and along with our debate partners, to come up with a schedule that we felt was going to allow for the — to maximize the opportunity for voters to see our candidates.”
The Florida congresswoman has faced backlash from members of her party for scheduling several debates on a weekend, when viewership is expected to be low. Democratic rivals Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley have argued that the schedule gives Mrs. Clinton an advantage over the lesser-known candidates, while Republicans say it shields her from further scrutiny of her record.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz said the scheduling has allowed her party to have “a much more substantive and serious discussion, where Americans have a chance, instead of watching the food fight happening on the other side of the aisle, get to hear our candidates talk about how they are going to meet — move our country forward.”
She argued that the Republican Party has scheduled more debates simply because it has more candidates.
“They have a dozen candidates, and we have three,” she said. “So, I mean, I understand that they have got a reality TV star that is attracting a lot of train wreck, you know, you shouldn’t watch, but you can’t help yourself-type interest.”
“You know, on our side, we’re getting record viewership for our debates. And we have had three up to now, and this is our fourth. And that’s because voters really care about the issues,” she added.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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