--- title: MSNBC and New Hampshire Union Leader Plan Democratic Debate description: Journalists challenge the rules set by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz canonical: https://time.com/4194675/new-hampshire-democratic-debate-hillary-clinton/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-26T21:23:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T19:45:55.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: MSNBC and New Hampshire Union Leader Plan Democratic Debate og:description: Journalists challenge the rules set by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz og:url: https://time.com/4194675/new-hampshire-democratic-debate-hillary-clinton/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc58f26a0deb7c248/69887986cd1bba4dbe6fefde/democratic-debate-omalley-clinton-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Democratic U.S. presidential candidates (L-R) former Governor Martin O'Malley, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders pose together before the start of the NBC News - YouTube Democratic presidential candidates debate in Char og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: MSNBC and New Hampshire Union Leader Plan Democratic Debate twitter:description: Journalists challenge the rules set by DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Shultz twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc58f26a0deb7c248/69887986cd1bba4dbe6fefde/democratic-debate-omalley-clinton-sanders.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Hampshire Schedules Unsanctioned Democratic Debate > Sponsored content. 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In early voting states like New Hampshire, the hard work of winning elections is often decided by volunteers on the ground._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:45 PM UTCPublished: Jan 26, 2016 9:23 PM UTC  Democratic U.S. presidential candidates (L-R) former Governor Martin O'Malley, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders pose together before the start of the NBC - YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C. on Jan. 17, 2016. Democratic U.S. presidential candidates (L-R) former Governor Martin O'Malley, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders pose together before the start of the NBC - YouTube Democratic presidential debate at the Gaillard Center in Charleston, S.C. on Jan. 17, 2016. Randall Hill—Reuters by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Updated: Dec 13, 2023 7:45 PM UTCPublished: Jan 26, 2016 9:23 PM UTC After months of grassroots anger directed at the Democratic Party over its debate schedule, the New Hampshire _Union Leader_ and MSNBC plan to defy Democratic leaders and jointly host a debate for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton and Martin O’Malley in New Hampshire five days before the state’s primary. But no one knows whether the candidates will show up. The Democratic National Committee has previously said that it would exclude any candidate or network that participates in an additional, unsanctioned debate from the future sanctioned debates, including a Feb. 11 event in Wisconsin and a March 9 event in Florida. NBC hosted the last Democratic debate on Jan. 17. So far only long-shot Democratic candidate O’Malley has said he would participate in the New Hampshire debate, and it is unclear whether former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders will agree to join. A spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign suggested that her appearance would depend on the other candidates. “Hillary Clinton would be happy to participate in a debate in New Hampshire if the other candidates agree, which would allow the DNC to sanction the debate,” said Jennifer Palmieri, communications director for Clinton. Sanders’ campaign signaled openness to participating in the additional debate. “We will be working with the DNC and the other campaigns to schedule additional debates,” said Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs. The new debate is scheduled for Feb. 4 and would be hosted by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and NBC’s Chuck Todd, the [_Union Leader_](http://www.unionleader.com/article/20160126/NEWS0605/160129106) reported. “Our readers have demanded a debate to help them see who is most fit to be the Democratic nominee for President,” said Joseph McQuaid, president and publisher of the Union Leader. “We are glad to partner with MSNBC to ensure Granite Staters have the information they need to make a critical decision on Feb. 9.” The debate would be the fifth of the primary season and give the three presidential candidates exposure on a national stage at a pivotal time in the nominating process, three days after the winner of the Iowa caucuses has been decided. “In keeping with the best traditions of the New Hampshire Primary, we have always believed that the voters of the Granite State deserve more than one opportunity to see their candidates for President debate side by side,” O’Malley’s New Hampshire state director John Bivona said in a statement. Under the leadership of chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee set a narrow debate schedule including just six debates, compared to the more than 20 debates in the last Democratic primary in 2008\. The schedule has outraged party activists, many of whom have suggested the schedule is intended to protect Clinton from exposure to criticism. Both Sanders and O’Malley have repeatedly called for more debates, and Clinton has said she welcomes whatever party leaders decide. The DNC suggested it did not plan to sanction the coming debate. “We have no plans to sanction any further debates before the upcoming First in the Nation caucuses and primary, but will reconvene with our campaigns after those two contests to review our schedule,” said DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Feb. 4 debate was first reported by [Buzzfeed](http://www.buzzfeed.com/evanmcsan/sources-nbc-news-and-union-leader-to-annouce-unsanctioned-de#.gnEZm8Qgl). ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] 30 days to the primary, every second counts. We're hoping that this will prove our tenacity and we're willing to not only go out here and knock on doors, but knock on doors in awful weather because That's how strongly we feel about this campaign. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Three weeks to go now until the first votes are cast in the 2016 presidential race. But the bigger surprise right here, Sanders is closing in on Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders deadlocked. Sanders is out for And that has her campaign admitting they are nervous. [ APPLAUSE ] People hearing the message directly from the senator is wonderful, but we can't have a rally every day. The conversations that matter to me are the ones that are happening between individuals. Because at the end of the day, that's what wins an election. If they're home. [ SOUND ] I think the best I ever did was 61 houses. And I think I got 7 commit cards. Which was pretty good. We've had a big push in the past 60 days. My job is not to convince people to change their vote, I'm just there to give them information. Hi. Hi. Mr. Thorner? And also, it's to inform people what day the Primary is on. Should be, here. [ SOUND ] I remember, I think it was about six years ago now, there was one. Disheveled crazy looking guy on floor of the Senate who gave a 10 and a half hour filibuster about how stupid the Bush tax cuts were. And I remember seeing that, being like, this dude is the only dude in the Senate with guts and this is exactly what I believe in. And I started following a little bit more about who is he was and everything I heard him say, I agreed with and loved. Like everything. Well, we're just out here for Bernie, because we believe that he's one of the most different candidates. That can really revolutionize- This is the grind, yes, this is where it's won. Those are the most effective and persuasive ways of talking to voters. All right, whose next? Yesterday alone we knocked on 17, 000 doors. Watch the ice. One day, 17, 000 doors. We're from the Bernie Sanders campaign and we were just wondering if you were planning on voting in the primary on February 9th. [ INAUDIBLE ] Hilary in the primary. Definitely. Wonderful. Be voting for both of you. Great. Leaning strongly in her favor? I'm still not sure. I love Bernie Sanders. Most of us do Who are in this part of the country. But there's some drawbacks, too. I'm torn- She's a woman with very strong convictions just like Bernie- That I admire. And she's stuck to them, but now she's moderated them to say well, I can meet the Republicans halfway. And I don't know what will happen if Bernie can't meet them halfway. I'm not sure that he would Even have a chance of [ CROSSTALK ] Yes, yeah. That's what I'm really worried. The worries that people have about his electability should have really disappeared by now. All these people that no other candidate would get should come out and vote for them Bernie's got those people. And people that haven't voted in 20 years. And I've seen them in the office making calls. I've seen them stepping up and doing stuff. And I think Bernie talks the talk and walks the walk. One of the reasons that I'm really For Hilary is because of the Affordable Care Act and I think she will not only keep it, but improve on it. I've had breast cancer, my husband's had prostate cancer, my son has treatable epilepsy. She's just right on for people from birth to death. If we get that win by three points or five points or whatever, it's gonna be us on On the ground making that difference, creating that margin, and that's what it's about. Doing it three times this week, because we're getting close to the wire. I definitely will do it the remainder of the Saturdays and possibly some of the Sundays. Then I have said that I'll come in two nights a week to make calls Bye. [ LAUGH ] See if we could get the dogs to vote, we'd be doing really just right. 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