Joe Biden's Democratic Rival Compares DNC to Soviet Union

Democratic 2024 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson compared the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Florida Democratic Party to the now defunct Soviet Union, telling Newsweek on Saturday that their actions ahead of the primaries are "essentially authoritarian."

Williamson, along with fellow Democratic contenders Cenk Uygur, a political commentator and creator of the The Young Turks, and Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, has slammed the Florida Democratic Party's decision to not include their names on the primary ballot. Instead, Democratic voters in the southern state will only see Biden's name listed—unless the decision is reversed.

"What they are trying to do is essentially authoritarian in nature," Williamson told Newsweek in an email on Saturday. "A political party's role should be to facilitate democracy, not thwart it. This action is terrible for the party and terrible for our democracy."

The author and spiritual leader made similar remarks during a Friday press conference with Uygur.

"When I was a child, we were told that in the Soviet Union people could vote, but then were told who their options were. And that's exactly what's happening here," Williamson said.

Newsweek reached out to the DNC and Biden's campaign via email for comment. Florida's Democratic primary is currently scheduled to take place on August 20 next year.

The Florida Democratic Party dismissed the criticism, with a spokesperson telling Newsweek that the party was following the "standard process."

"The Florida Democratic Party followed its process and the State Executive Committee voted unanimously to send one name, Joe Biden, to the Secretary of State as a candidate for the party's nomination for president," the spokesperson said in an email

"It is not uncommon for an incumbent President to be declared the automatic winner of a presidential primary," the spokesperson added, noting that the same thing happened with former President Barack Obama in 2012.

Uygur and Phillips strongly criticized the decision as well.

"This is about all three of us being excluded in a way that was absurd, ridiculous, counterproductive, done, obviously in secret, obviously, to help the incumbent Joe Biden," Uygur said during the Friday press conference.

"Americans would expect the absence of democracy in Tehran, not Tallahassee," Phillips said in a Thursday statement. "The intentional disenfranchisement of voters runs counter to everything for which our Democratic Party and country stand. Our mission as Democrats is to defeat authoritarians, not become them."

The spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party called the criticism "conspiratorial and inappropriate."

"These comments are unbecoming of anyone running for the highest office," the spokesperson said.

A national poll conducted from November 22 to 28 by Harris X/The Messenger shows Biden as the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination with 65 percent support. Williamson came in second at 8 percent and Phillips was at 4 percent. Uygur's name was not included in the poll, which surveyed 1,399 registered voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.

Other polls have shown that clear majorities of Democratic voters do not want Biden to be their 2024 presidential nominee. A CNN poll released in late September showed two-thirds of Democratic leaning voters held this view. Meanwhile, Biden's approval rating remains well below water, with the current FiveThirtyEight average showing only 39.5 percent view the presidential favorably.

Many voters and pundits have raised concerns about Biden's age, as he is already the oldest president in U.S. history, and would be 82 years old at the start of a potential second term. The president has also faced persistent criticism for his handling of the economy as well as a slew of foreign policy issues. Recent polling has suggested that many young and minority voters have turned against the president due to his strong support for Israel in its war with Hamas.

Biden's supporters say that he is the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump, who is currently the clear frontrunner for the GOP's nomination. However, many national and swing state polls show Biden trailing the former Republican commander-in-chief.

The president's allies also point out that Democrats and their priorities, such as abortion rights, performed well in the 2022 midterms and in a slew of off year elections. They believe that when it comes down to Biden versus Trump, or another "extreme" Republican, voters will choose the Democrat—even if he is not their ideal candidate.

Many Democrats who back Biden also criticize those who are running against him in the primary. They say that these efforts will destabilize the party when it should be uniting around the president in a bid to defeat "extreme" Republicans.

"That's like telling a victim of domestic abuse that if they make any noise about it they're creating chaos in the household. The candidates being left off the ballot are not the perpetrators here; we, and the millions of disenfranchised voters we represent, are the victims of an unacceptable injustice and we are simply standing up to it," Williamson told Newsweek on Saturday in response to that criticism.

Uygur also pushed back against criticism of his campaign in a Saturday email to Newsweek, pointing out that Biden is behind Trump in many recent polls.

"Supporting Biden at this point is the equivalent of saying you don't mind if Trump is president again. I mind, a lot. People who are enabling the narcissism of Joe Biden are putting obedience to authority above the Democratic Party and above country," he said.

Williamson went on to explain that her campaign is taking legal action in a bid to prevent the Florida Democratic Party's decision from going through.

"The final deadline for implementing the ballot decision is Tuesday, and we will seek what is essentially an injunction to insure that Joe Biden's name is not the only Democrat on it. The Florida statute giving full power to the Florida Democratic Party to determine who is on the ballot, combined with the party's unwillingness to choose anyone but its own chosen candidate, together violate our 14th Amendment protections," she said.

Update 12/2/2023, 5:51 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Uygur.

Update 12/3/2023, 9:21 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from a Florida Democratic Party spokesperson.