--- title: Democrats Take Fire for Exclusivity Clause in Official Debates description: The Democratic National Committee is coming under fire for its takeover of the presidential primary debate process. canonical: https://time.com/3847335/democratic-presidential-debates-exclusive/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-05T17:40:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-17T16:51:39.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Democrats Take Fire for Exclusivity in Official Debates og:description: Candidates will be barred if they appear in non-official debates. og:url: https://time.com/3847335/democratic-presidential-debates-exclusive/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53cd86ffee4f6f34/6987ed828e06018dbd45e5ff/hillary-clinton13.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University on April 29, 2015 in New York City. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Democrats Take Fire for Exclusivity in Official Debates twitter:description: Candidates will be barred if they appear in non-official debates. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53cd86ffee4f6f34/6987ed828e06018dbd45e5ff/hillary-clinton13.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Democrats Take Fire for Exclusivity Clause in Official Debates by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Jan 17, 2024 4:51 PM UTCPublished: May 5, 2015 5:40 PM UTC  Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University on April 29, 2015 in New York City. Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum at Columbia University on April 29, 2015 in New York City.Kevin Hagen—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Updated: Jan 17, 2024 4:51 PM UTCPublished: May 5, 2015 5:40 PM UTC The Democratic National Committee is coming under fire for its takeover of the presidential primary debate process. Just minutes after announcing that it will only sanction six contests and that candidates who appear in any debate outside of those six will be barred from attending a sanctioned debate, Lis Smith, a spokeswoman for likely Democratic contender former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley criticized the small number of debates and the exclusivity requirement. “If Governor O’Malley decides to run, we will expect a full, robust, and inclusive set of debates — both nationally and in early primary and caucus states,” she said in a statement to reporters. ”This has been customary in previous primary seasons. In a year as critical as 2016, exclusivity does no one any favors.” The DNC said the six debate number was the jumping off point in 2004 and 2008 but it was quickly overridden by candidates and news outlets wanting more. In 2008, Democrats faced off more than 20 times before President Obama won the nomination. “The precedent that was set was six, but there was no mechanism controlling that,” said DNC Communications Director Mo Elleithee. “We’ve always said that we’d like to come up with a number and stick with it.” “Every now and then Republicans have ideas that aren’t so terrible, and this was one of them,” he added of the exclusivity clause. But an aide to one Democratic 2016 aspirant said they were taken aback by the exclusivity clause. “In the discussions that the DNC had with potential 2016 candidates, they explicitly said there would be no exclusivity clause and it was a shock to see that they included one in their press release today,” the aide said. “It was all an elaborate game where everything was worked out in advance with the Clinton people,” the aide alleged. Elleithee declined to detail the nature of internal conversations the DNC conducted with candidates and campaigns, including whether the exclusivity clause was a late addition to the parameters. “I have been involved in debate negotiations for various campaigns for nearly 20 years and they are almost always have some people who want more and some people who want fewer,” Elleithee said. Appearing on stage with Clinton would be a significant credibility boost to the likely Democratic field, which includes lesser-known figures like O’Malley, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb. Clinton aides understandably want to limit her opposition’s potential for a breakout moment on stage, while protecting a candidate who who occasionally struggled during the 2008 primary debates. Minutes after the DNC announced its debate plans, Clinton tweeted her support. Elleithee added that campaigns were given a heads up about the press release Tuesday morning before it was sent out. But a spokesman for likely presidential aspirant Jim Webb said the former senator’s team had not discussed the debates “internally or externally.” ### LIFE's Best Convention Photos: The Democrats  Scene at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. John Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Of this picture, LIFE noted in its July 29, 1940, issue: "Trying, amid the general convention apathy and sullenness, to find some Democrats who appeared to be having fun \[as it was clear FDR would be nominated for an unprecedented third term, the convention lacked drama\], a LIFE photographer went to the famous 606 Club ... featuring an almost continuous strip tease." John Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Senator Harry S. Truman and his family at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Roosevelt supporters demonstrate at the 1944 Democratic National Convention in Chicago where he was nominated for a fourth term. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  George Vaughn of Missouri offers motion to unseat the anti-Truman delegation from Mississippi during the 1948 Democratic National Convention. Gjon Mili—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Franklin D. Roosevelt's oldest son, James, gets makeup for a television broadcast during the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Penn. George Skadding—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Alabama delegation leader Handy Ellis (center) on the floor during the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Ellis,a "Dixiecrat," would eventually lead a walkout over the Democratic platform plank supporting civil rights. Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Soapy Williams sings the Star Spangled Banner during the 1952 Democratic convention in Chicago. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mrs. Estes Kefauver (center, in white hat) watching the action at the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Michigan Senator Blair Moody (right) and Franklin D. Roosevelt Jr. confer during the 1952 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Hank Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Mrs. John F. Kennedy at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Left to right: Senator Estes Kefauver, Gov. Frank Clement, Sen. Albert Gore and candidate Adlai Stevenson at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Delegates strategize on the floor during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Scene at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Two-way radios were used to interview delegates on the floor at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Georgia Congresswoman Iris Blitch, a staunch segregationist during her time in Congress, being saluted by her state's delegates before her speech at the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Democratic politician Averell Harriman watches former President Harry S. Truman support him during the 1956 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Harriman lost the nomination to Adlai Stevenson that year, and in 1952. Yale Joel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy confers with his brother and campaign organizer, Robert Kennedy, in a hotel suite during the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Hank Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Scene at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas grieves over Lyndon Johnson's defeat at the 1960 Democratic National Convention after JFK won the nomination. Johnson, of course, was added to the ticket as Kennedy's VP pick. Howard Sochurek—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Eleanor Roosevelt addresses delegates at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, where she supported Illinois' Adlai Stevenson over the party's eventual nominee, John F. Kennedy. Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Senator John F. Kennedy speaks at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Ed Clark—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Adlai Stevenson (center) and Lyndon Johnson (right) congratulate John F. Kennedy on winning the party's presidential nomination at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Delegates from Illinois show their support for President Lyndon Johnson at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Robert F. Kennedy (right), his wife Ethell and Democratic stalwart Averell Harriman at a reception for Jackie Kennedy during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  President Lyndon Johnson with his running mate Hubert Humphrey during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Francis Miller—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Demonstrators protest American involvement in the Vietnam War outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968. Charles Phillips—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Not originally published in LIFE. Connecticut delegates and Eugene McCarthy supporters Paul Newman (right) and playwright Arthur Miller during the contentious 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  A protestor is grabbed by police during a demonstration outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968. Lee Balterman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  California delegate Charles Anderson burns his credentials to protest the party's decision to seat only half of Georgia's civil rights delegation during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, 1968. Michael Mauney—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Chicago mayor Richard Daley — a Democrat who served for five terms and remains one of the most controversial figures in Chicago political history — on the floor during the Democratic National Convention in 1968. Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  Delegates for Alabama's George Wallace cheer behind a delegate for New York's Shirley Chisholm—the first African-American woman ever elected to Congress—during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images  George McGovern delegation co-chair Willie Brown, Jr.—later the powerful, long-time Speaker of the California State Assembly and, eventually, the mayor of San Francisco—embraces an unidentified woman during the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach. McGovern would win his party's nomination, but was crushed by Richard Nixon during the presidential election, winning only Massachusetts and the District of Columbia. Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images –_Additional reporting by Sam Frizell_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3847335/democratic-presidential-debates-exclusive/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3847335/democratic-presidential-debates-exclusive/"},"headline":"Democrats Take Fire for Exclusivity Clause in Official Debates","datePublished":"2015-05-05T17:40:50.000Z","dateModified":"2024-01-17T16:51:39.000Z","description":"The Democratic National Committee is coming under fire for its takeover of the presidential primary debate process.","url":"https://time.com/3847335/democratic-presidential-debates-exclusive/","keywords":["2016 Election","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election topic","Bernie Sanders","Martin O'malley","Lincoln Chafee","Jim Webb","Debates"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53cd86ffee4f6f34/6987ed828e06018dbd45e5ff/hillary-clinton13.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt53cd86ffee4f6f34/6987ed828e06018dbd45e5ff/hillary-clinton13.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democratic presidential hopeful and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the David N. 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