Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson and others have criticized the DNC for the lack of any Democratic primary debates, stating that it was both “undemocratic” and “unfortunate.” These statements came before President Biden announced his re-election bid officially.
In her statement, Williamson claimed that the DNC was not going to have any “primary debates” as if there are “no other candidates … no other ideas” that need to be discussed ahead of the 2024 presidential election. She added that this was not going to be accepted by people.
Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, stated that the DNC’s decision to not hold any primary debates was “undemocratic” and it took away the right of voters to choose.
In 2020, the RNC also did not host any primary debates between then-President Donald Trump and the several candidates who sought to challenge him, including former GOP congressman Joe Walsh and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. However, none of the potential challengers were considered to be enough of a threat to Trump.
Turner in another tweet stated that she believed in democracy and thus, in debates. She further claimed that “The DNC, RNC, and every third party should hold that same belief in a democracy.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also launched a presidential campaign challenging President Biden for the Democratic nomination. He too has joined the criticisms stating that the DNC’s choice to not hold any debates was “unfortunate.”
