On the eve of the first of at least nine Republican presidential debates, featuring 17 candidates, the Democratic National Committee has set its debate schedule for the 2016 presidential primary, with Hillary Clinton’s first in-person test against her decidedly smaller pool of rivals officially two months away.



Those rivals on the left were already calling the process tantamount to a “coronation”.

The Guardian has learned that the first Democratic debates will be held on 13 October in Nevada and televised on CNN.

Three more debates will take place prior to the beginning of the primary season:

14 November in Des Moines, Iowa, with CBS, the Des Moines Register and local television station KCCI as media partners;

19 December in Manchester, New Hampshire, with ABC and WMUR as media partners;

7 January in Charleston, South Carolina, co-sponsored by NBC and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute.



Two more debates will be held in either February or March – one in Miami as a cooperative effort with Univision and the Washington Post, and one in Wisconsin held with PBS.

In a statement, DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz said: “These six debates will not only give caucus-goers and primary voters ample opportunity to hear from our candidates about their vision for our country’s future, they will highlight the clear contrast between the values of the Democratic Party, which is focused on strengthening the middle class versus Republicans who want to pursue out of touch and out of date policies.”

The debate process among Democrats has caused significant controversy. Some within the party have long griped that the DNC’s debate schedule, which only allows for six debates, gives an inherent advantage to Clinton in an attempt to avoid a contentious primary.

In particular, the imposition of an “exclusivity rule” – which prevents candidates from participating in debates that were not sanctioned by the national party – has drawn ire.

The exclusivity rule was intended to prevent the number of debates from multiplying like they did in past elections. In the 2008 Democratic primary, 26 different debates were held, six of which when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were the only two candidates participating.

The campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders has long pushed an online petition to call for more debates, and Clinton’s other rivals were already accusing the Democratic leadership of circling the wagons around Clinton in an attempt to close off debate.

In a statement, Sanders said he was “disappointed, but not surprised” by the DNC debate schedule.

“At a time when many Americans are demoralized about politics and have given up on the political process, I think it’s imperative that we have as many debates as possible – certainly more than six. I look forward to working with the DNC to see if we can significantly expand the proposed debate schedule.”

The campaign team for former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley was quick to call the Democratic primary schedule “geared toward debate and facilitating a coronation”.

“There is a long, proud tradition of voters in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire getting to hear early and often from candidates for presient,” said O’Malley strategist Bill Hyers. “The DNC schedule kills that tradition, and we shouldn’t stand for it.”

Hey @TheDemocrats: hands off our debates! You're not in charge. They should be set by the voters, not folks in DC. #WeNeedDebate — Martin O'Malley (@MartinOMalley) August 6, 2015

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Clinton’s campaign said the frontrunner was “looking forward to joining her fellow Democratic candidates in the upcoming DNC-sanctioned debates.

“Unlike the Republican debates about their out-of-date agenda, we believe these debates will be a great conversation around issues that matter to everyday Americans and the Democratic ideals for moving America forward,” Jesse Ferguson said in a statement.

For all their griping, six primetime debates are better than none for these underdog Democrats, especially when Clinton remains the clear frontrunner in repeated polls. The question for Sanders and O’Malley is how they appeal to voters in the limited debate time available.