Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic candidate for president, represents "popularism" in his campaign for the White House, the Rev. Al Sharpton said Thursday.
Sharpton made the remark during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" while the panel was discussing the possibility that Democrat front-runner Hillary Clinton could criticize Sanders.
"That could backfire because sometimes, I think when you start attacking someone who is perceived as the face of a movement, because let's remember we're not dealing with the charisma of Bernie Sanders, we're dealing with the popularism that he represents," Sharpton said. "When you start attacking that, you may even generate more of a crowd."
The Washington Free Beacon posted an excerpt of Sharpton's comments onto YouTube:
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Sanders has surged in recent weeks, drawing closer to Clinton in polls in
New Hampshire and
Iowa.
A Business Insider story this week even predicted Sanders could be a "legitimate challenger" to Clinton during the campaign.
Clinton and Sanders are joined by
former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, former Rhode Island Sen. and Gov.
Lincoln Chafee, and
former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Sanders, despite his surge in early polling, has raised a few eyebrows thus far in his campaign.
A self-described socialist, Sanders said a 90 percent tax rate would not be too high for top-earning Americans, while another report discussed a controversial essay he wrote in 1972.
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