Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who has accused the Democratic National Committee of rigging the primary process in favor of Hillary Clinton, said Tuesday that he challenged Sen. Bernie Sanders to a one-on-one debate but was turned down.
Appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," former DNC Chairman Howard Dean asked O'Malley why he didn't challenge Sanders to a debate, to which O'Malley responded, "You think I haven't done that?"
"I've done that," he said. "I asked Sen. Sanders. Sen. Sanders doesn't want to do more debates either. He kind of liked where it is."
O'Malley and Sanders have criticized the DNC for limiting the number of 2016 Democratic presidential primary debates to just six, a sharp decline from the 25 it had in 2008 when Clinton was running against then-Sen. Barack Obama. According to the two, fewer debates, along with the obscure timing of the events (the most recent was held the Saturday night before Christmas), lessens the impact and makes it less likely that Clinton will tarnish her image, therefore increasing the chances of her taking the nomination.
The DNC is "trying to circle the wagons around this year's inevitable front-runner, Hillary Clinton," O'Malley said, placing blame with current DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. "Debbie Wasserman Schultz is doing a terrible disservice to the public. Look how many debates the Republicans have had," he said, according to The Hill.
O'Malley argued Tuesday that voters will eventually grow tired of the political establishment influencing the primary process.
"The concentration of power and wealth in our economy, that same concentration of power and wealth is happening in the Democratic Party. And you know what? I don't care," he said. "I believe that people understand that just as their economy is rigged, so, too, sometimes can be their politics and I'm going to continue to call forward the goodness in the hearts of Americans."
Dean said that given his experience as the head of the DNC, he does not believe that it is rigged, noting that in 2008, both Clinton and Obama thought he was "in the tank for the other one," when in reality, he was trying to protect them both, according to The Huffington Post.
"I don't think the books were cooked and if they were, they were cooked pretty badly because Hillary Clinton is a very good debater," Dean said of the debate schedule. "After each debate she gets a bump. If this was a strategy to help Hillary Clinton, I don't think it has."
In RealClearPolitics' average of the last five polls, O'Malley sits with 4.6 percent, compared to Sanders' 30 percent and Clinton's 55.3 percent.
The fourth Democratic debate is scheduled for Jan. 17 in Charleston, South Carolina.
