Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., the embattled Democratic National Committee Chairwoman, came out of the party’s first presidential primary debate “a winner,” according to conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer.
Wasserman Schultz has been a controversial figure within the Democratic Party for restricting the number of primary debates the party’s presidential candidates would be permitted to participate in. Some party officials and even candidates Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders have harshly criticized Wasserman Schultz for the restrictions, charging that the chairwoman was stacking the deck in favor of current front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Others have said she rammed through that decision without discussing it internally with other DNC officials.
But after Tuesday’s debate, in which Clinton was largely perceived by commentators and journalists to be the runaway winner, Krauthammer wrote in his latest column that Wasserman Schultz has been vindicated.
“Wasserman Schultz came out a winner,” Krauthammer said in the Washington Post. “She insisted, despite the squawking of Martin O’Malley and others, on no more than six debates. Who needs the other five? Tuesday night settled the issue. When there’s a knockout in the first round, you stop the fight.”
None of the four other candidates on stage with Clinton for the first debate have indicated they are ready to drop out of the race.
The next debate is set for Nov. 14.
