Las Vegas (CNN) Penn Jillette, the louder half of the long-running Penn & Teller Show, is an outspoken libertarian, but he reserves his kindest words for a White House hopeful that may surprise you.

"There seems to be one person in this race who's actually genuine and not crazy. And that's Bernie," Jillette said of Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders during an exclusive backstage interview here at the Rio Hotel and Casino. "He uses the word socialist, which in the United States is what? Sixty percent socialist now? We're a mixed economy. This is all stuff a libertarian probably shouldn't say, but 'socialist' isn't a dirty word. It's a different way of looking at how the government works."

Sanders, who embraces the title of a "Democratic socialist," isn't an obvious candidate to receive praise from Jillette, who, along with his on-stage partner Raymond Teller, is a self-described libertarian.

The popular magicians regularly incorporate their political philosophy into their magic act. For example, they bring a Transportation Security Administration airport scanner onstage to make a case against federal intrusion. The store at the theater where they perform even sells metal cards inscribed with the Bill of Rights and Jillette encourages people to carry them through airport metal detectors so officers literally have to take part of the Constitution away before they can board airplanes.

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