Democrats shrug off Marianne Williamson’s primary challenge for 2024

Marianne Williamson’s presidential nomination is causing eye-rolling among political strategists and meeting radio silence in the White House and the Democratic National Committee.

Williamson is set to become the first Democrat to challenge President Biden when she launches her 2024 campaign on Saturday in Washington, D.C. in line for the president after strong intermediate results.

This has made it unclear whether the party is really demanding that someone take over the incumbent, despite polls that show voters are unenthusiastic about Biden’s second term.

The White House and the Democratic National Committee separately declined to comment on Williamson’s planned primary campaign and did not publicly consider her candidacy. This doesn’t seem to bother Democrats and Biden allies, many of whom don’t see Williamson as a major threat.

“I hope and expect that they will completely ignore this. She is not a credible candidate in any respect. She will definitely have no trouble winning the nomination,” said Matt Bennett, co-founder of the centrist think tank The Third Way and a veteran of past Democratic campaigns.

“If this is the only major issue he faces, Joe Biden can sleep well until the general election,” Bennett added.

The specter of Biden facing a major challenge, especially from someone to his left, has loomed since he first became president in 2020 at age 78, who presented himself as a bridge to the next generation of party leaders.

Stronger-than-expected Democratic mid-term results, declining recession fears and a strong legislative track record have all contributed to the party accepting, if not enthusiastically backing, Biden’s re-election bid.

The president continues to reaffirm his intentions to run, but has yet to officially launch his 2024 presidential campaign. First Lady Jill Biden said last week that the question is essentially about deciding when and where to make the announcement.

However, recent polls do not always favor Biden.

An Associated Press poll released in early February showed that only 37 percent of Democrats said they wanted Biden to run for a second term, up from 52 percent last fall.

But an Emerson College poll released this week found that 71 percent of Democratic voters think Biden should be the party’s nominee in 2024, up from 58 percent last month.

This uncertainty among voters, combined with ongoing concerns about Biden’s age – he will be 82 at the start of his second term – has left a window open for someone to launch a major challenge based on the idea of ​​passing the baton to the next generation of voters. democrats.

However, few believe that Williamson is the candidate.

“Hi @ap, Marianne Williamson is not a ‘big Democrat’, thank you for your attention to this matter,” Rep. Don Beyer’s (D-VA) aide Aaron Frichner tweeted in response to an Associated Press report urging Williamson became the first “major Democrat” to challenge Biden.

Williamson, 70, is a spiritual guide and writer who has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She ran for president in 2016 and hit single digits, dropping out of the Democratic primary before the votes were cast. Among her proposals was to create a Department of Peace.

In a Facebook post announcing her plans, Williamson claimed she had what it takes to “transform” the country’s entrenched system of government.

“Of course, some have already said, ‘Obviously she can’t win. Or Well, that’s good; she will add to the conversation,” wrote Williamson. “But after the 2016 election, it is strange to think that they can know who can win the presidential election. And I won’t get into it again just to add to the conversation. I’m running for president to help close an aberrative chapter in our history and help usher in a new beginning.”

Democrats, long considered perhaps Biden’s biggest challengers, overwhelmingly lined up to show support for the president if he seeks re-election.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said he would support Biden if he ran in 2024. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who was once seen as a possible top contender, said last November that he had no plans to run for president. even if Biden refuses to run for another term. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) declined to support Biden before any possible primary out of respect for the process, although she did not indicate she would challenge it.

Strategists say there’s still a chance another progressive candidate, like former House nominee Nina Turner, could mount a challenge, but such a campaign is more likely to be aimed at criticizing Biden rather than the actual nomination. parties.

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The only scenario in which additional Democrats are likely to step in is if Biden doesn’t announce it, strategists say.

“The only question is whether anyone on the far left is claiming to be really present,” former Republican National Committee (RNC) spokesman Doug Hay said, arguing that Williamson does not.

“But otherwise there will be no serious revitalization. They are all looking at him,” he added. “If he said tomorrow, ‘I’m out,’ then all of a sudden you’d see a lot of momentum as campaigns try to start overnight.”

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