Hillary willing to do more debates

Hillary Clinton is open to having more presidential debates amid protests from her Democratic rivals that the number has been capped to tilt the race in her favor.

“I look forward to the debate next month, now just a month away. I will certainly show up anywhere the Democratic National Committee (DNC) tells us to show up,” Clinton said Thursday afternoon on CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

“I want us to have a good exchange of ideas and to make sure that Democratic voters, first, and then general voters to follow see exactly what we stand for.”

{mosads}Clinton wouldn’t explicitly call on the DNC to add debates when asked, telling Blitzer that the decision is the party’s to make.

“They’ve made their decision, but I’ve made it clear that if they want to do more, I’m happy to do them,” she said.

It was Clinton’s first live television interview since starting her campaign.

The Democratic front-runner’s poll numbers have slid since she hit the trail, and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is narrowing the gap. The possibility of a bid by Vice President Biden has also increased as Democrats express concern about the fallout from Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of State.

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (Md.) is leading the charge for more debates, accusing the party of “facilitating a coronation” for Clinton in an August statement.

Sanders has also called for more chances to debate his fellow candidates.

The party plans to hold six debates during the primary season, compared to 26 during the 2008 cycle.

“Telling New Hampshire they can only have one before New Hampshire, telling Iowa only one day before Iowa — that’s never happened before,” O’Malley said Thursday morning on MSNBC’s “The Rundown with José Diaz-Balart.”

“And I think people find it insulting. It’s beneath us as a party.”