(CNN) —
Hillary Clinton told reporters on Saturday that she would participate in additional presidential debates if the party’s national committee sanctioned them, opening the door to more public contests between the Democratic presidential hopefuls.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has repeatedly called for more than the six debates than the Democratic National Committee has sanctioned and used a speech before the committee in August to blast the decision as biased towards Clinton. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has joined O’Malley in those calls.
“I debated a lot in 2008 and I would certainly be there with lots of enthusiasm and energy if (the DNC) decide to add more debates,” Clinton said during a press conference in Portsmouth. “And I think that’s the message a lot of people are sending their way.”
The comment is a departure from what Clinton has said about debates in the past. When asked by reporters in August about the debate schedule, Clinton said she would not comment on scheduling.
The debate issue has dominated much of what O’Malley – who is polling in the basement and is struggling to establish himself in the race – has talked about for the last few weeks.
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“Is this how the Democratic Party selects its nominee, or are we becoming something else, something less?” he asked the DNC in August. On a radio show after his remarks, O’Malley called his party the “Undemocratic Party.”
The DNC announced earlier this year that there would be six sanctioned debates on its side, with the first coming in October.
DNC officials have said it is highly unlikely that the party sanctions any more debates, even with O’Malley’s complaints. It is also unlikely, they said, that the party will loosen their rules that stipulate any candidate who participates in a debate not sanctioned by the DNC will be barred from future contests.
Sanders has not been as vocal as O’Malley about debates, but has called for the DNC to sanction more of them.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
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Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
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Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School.
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Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
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In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
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Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985.
Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight
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The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President.
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Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992.
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In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
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During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus.
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Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993.
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The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993.
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Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995.
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Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
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The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President.
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The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997.