Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Mike Jordan/Getty Images for SXSW
- Marianne Williamson is challenging Biden for the 2024 nomination, running on a progressive platform.
- Bernie Sanders told Insider that she'll run a "strong campaign and raise very important issues."
- Sanders has said he supports Biden in 2024, but his praise for Williamson contrasts with other Democrats.
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont offered tepid praise on Tuesday for Marianne Williamson's 2024 presidential campaign, telling Insider at the Capitol that he expected her to raise "very important issues" during the campaign.
Williamson — a self-help author, spiritual leader, and 2020 presidential candidate — is currently the only well-known Democrat to officially launch a presidential campaign. President Joe Biden is widely expected to announce a re-election bid, but has yet to officially do so.
Sanders has said he will support Biden if he seeks re-election, and told Insider on Tuesday that he doesn't "want to speculate" about Williamson's chances. But Williamson endorsed Sanders in 2020 after dropping out of the campaign, and he indicated a respect for her that other Democrats haven't shown.
"I know Marianne," said Sanders. "I'm sure she's going to run a strong campaign and raise very important issues."
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, by contrast, was firm in her support for Biden when asked about Williamson's campaign.
"I think that President Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, and he's going to be re-elected," said Warren, saying she supported Biden because he's "accomplished a tremendous amount in the last two years, and he's got real momentum to keep on delivering for the American people."
Williamson announced her campaign to a packed room at Union Station in Washington, DC on Saturday, drawing applause from the crowd for her critiques about a "sociopathic economic system." While she made clear in her speech that she was glad to see Biden prevail over former President Donald Trump in 2020, she said that America still remains "six inches away from the cliff."
"This country is drowning in information and starving for understanding," she declared during the speech.
Williamson's platform includes a host of progressive staples including universal healthcare, free childcare, a wealth tax, and creating a green economy.
But so far, Williamson's nascent presidential bid has been largely dismissed by most Democrats.
Asked about Williamson's campaign on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made snide references to a "crystal ball" and Williamson's "aura," prompting Williamson to issue a video statement arguing her campaign is about "substantive issues and policy."
—Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 7, 2023
A recent Morning Consult poll found that just 4% of Democratic voters say they would vote for Williamson if the 2024 election were held today, versus 77% who said the same of Biden.