O’Malley blasts DNC for scheduling too few debates | McClatchy Washington Bureau

With former Secreatry of State Hillary Clinton leading in the polls and with Sen. Bernie Sanders drawing huge crowds at rallies, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is trying to keep pace in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes.

O’Malley Monday continued to rail against the Democratic National Committee for only holding six presidential debates.

“Shame on us as a party if the DNC tries to limit debates and prevents us from being able to put forward a better path for our people that will make the economy work for us again,” O’Malley said on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.” “So I believe we need more debates, not fewer debates. And I think it’s outrageous actually that the DNC would try to make this process decidedly undemocratic by telling Iowa and New Hampshire that they can only have one debate before they make a decision.”

Democratic White House hopefuls will participate in six debates: four in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, and two more in Florida and Wisconsin. O’Malley, Clinton, Sanders, I-Vt., former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee are seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

O’Malley badly trails Clinton and Sanders in most polls. Even Vice President Joe Biden, who is contemplating entering the race, is outpolling O’Malley. But the former governor and former Baltimore mayor presses on, saying that he has an advantage over most of the Democratic field.

“Fifteen years of executive service,” he said Sunday at the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention. “Not just making progressive promises, but actually accomplishing progressive results.”