--- description: Democratic Party Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz fired back at Martin O'Malley for suggesting the debate schedule was rigged. title: Democratic Party Head Fires Back at Martin O'Malley image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt697ef9c9400eb6e6/6988630535ba6fe415c0f194/martin-omalley-debates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Democratic Party Head Fires Back at Martin O'Malley by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 10, 2015 3:26 PM CUT  Democratic Presidential candidate former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting on August 28, 2015 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Democratic Presidential candidate former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting on August 28, 2015 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Adam Bettcher—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 10, 2015 3:26 PM CUT Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz shot back Thursday at former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, after weeks of the Democratic presidential candidate accusing the party of rigging the debate schedule in favor of Hillary Clinton. Standing feet away from Wasserman Schultz, O’Malley harshly criticized the Democratic Party’s debate schedule during a partywide meeting in Minneapolis last month, accusing the DNC of restricting discourse during the primary. “This sort of rigged process has never been attempted before,” he said on August 28, referring to the rule that prohibits Democratic candidates from participating in extra debates outside the DNC-sanctioned six debates. On Thursday, Wasserman Schultz—who set the exclusivity rule—responded in kind, in an unusual back-and-forth between a national party chair and a presidential candidate. “Every candidate does what they believe they need to to attract attention to their campaign,”Wasserman Schultz told reporters after a breakfast hosted by the _Christian Science Monitor_. “He has chosen to focus on debates, rather than substance. That is certainly his prerogative.” Wasserman Schultz on Thursday also said she would not change the six-debate schedule. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4029413/martin-omalley-debates-wasserman-schultz/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4029413/martin-omalley-debates-wasserman-schultz/"},"headline":"Democratic Party Head Fires Back at Martin O'Malley","datePublished":"2015-09-10T15:26:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T10:50:28.106Z","description":"Democratic Party Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz fired back at Martin O'Malley for suggesting the debate schedule was rigged.","url":"https://time.com/4029413/martin-omalley-debates-wasserman-schultz/","keywords":["democrats","2016 Election topic","DNC","Martin O'malley","debbie wasserman schultz","Debates"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt697ef9c9400eb6e6/6988630535ba6fe415c0f194/martin-omalley-debates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt697ef9c9400eb6e6/6988630535ba6fe415c0f194/martin-omalley-debates.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Democratic Presidential candidate former Maryland Gov. 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