So Long Marianne

Marianne “Love Will Win” Williamson" - The Most Fascinating Presidential Candidate You Probably Haven’t Heard Enough About, Drops Out

“Now that the primaries are complete, I’m no longer a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president. Deep thanks to all my donors, volunteers and supporters who stood for the radically humanitarian agenda that was the core of my campaign. We articulated an analysis of our history as well as a regenerative path forward that I believe in my heart is the most powerful antidote to authoritarianism and national decline. I hope our message will continue to resonate and impact our political conversation for many years to come. With deep appreciation to all.” - Yesterday’s Farewell

Marianne Williamson, known for her unorthodox spiritual approach and grassroots ideology, suspended her presidential campaign yesterday after a disappointing run in the primaries. Despite her passionate rhetoric and dedicated following, she struggled to gain traction in the circus of cycled characters. Her exit amplifies the challenges outsiders face in breaking through traditional political paradigms with unconventional strategies and intellectual rigor.

Back in March, Jessica met and highlighted her here.

At the end of the road, we tip our hat to her efforts.

Who is Marianne Williamson?

A bestselling author and a spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey. She has had an enormously successful career in writing and publishing but has also always been fiercely passionate about politics — and in recent years, she's turned that into a successful career, too. In 2024, though many of you probably haven't heard about it, she entered the race as Democratic presidential nomination against Biden.

How Did She Get Here? 

Williamson started as a spiritual leader in a church in Michigan. In 1992, she wrote her first bestselling book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. Not long after this book blew up, Williamson caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who first brought her on her show several times but later went so far as to name her personal spiritual advisor.

Alongside all of this, The Houston-born career woman had a successful career in the charity sector. She founded the Center for Living in 1987, Project Angel Food in 1989, and the Peace Alliance in 1998.

Given her evident passion, it's not surprising that in 2014, she decided to enter the political arena in earnest. She was an independent for California's 33rd congressional district in the US House of Representatives in 2014, failing to win the gig and finishing fourth with 13.2% of the vote. Then, in 2020, she set her aims even higher. She ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020, but after failing to gain enough traction, she dropped out and endorsed Bernie Sanders. 

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“When the Republican Party isn't what it used to be, and the Democratic Party isn't what it used to be, and the Left and Right aren't what they used to be, then our only option is to build something new.

We're living in what are called chaordic times, and the task of our generation is to bring order out of chaos. The place to start is in our own minds, seeking to understand the deeper dynamics that led us to this place. It's an internal process and it will take time. It will take grief, and forgiveness, and reverence for that which remains. All I know for sure is that wherever there is hate, or contempt, or arrogance, or propaganda, there will be no new beginning.” — MW

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The LA Times wrote early in Williamson's campaign that the Democrats were "transfixed" by her. She gained national attention when she praised then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ahearn for her stance on children's safety.

She then drew attention again at the first Democratic Primary debate when she addressed President Trump directly — whom she openly despises and has labeled a "fascist" — "Mr. President, if you're listening, you have harnessed fear for political purposes, and only love can cast that out. I am going to harness love for political purposes. And sir, love will win."

Sticking with the subject of Trump for a minute, she has accused him of racism, bigotry, antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and xenophobia and of harnessing a "dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred."

In fact, a good chunk of her campaigning has centered around presenting herself as an anti-Trump candidate. She said in February, "Right now, we have a fascist standing at the door. Everybody's all upset about it. Well, we should be upset about it. But we're not going to defeat the fascist by, well, by what? What is President Biden offering? He says, 'Let's finish the job.' Well, I hope you realize we're talking about millions of voters [who] can't even survive unless they work two or three jobs."

Williamson was clearly positioning herself as an alternative to both Biden and Trump. So what are her politics?

In short, they are fascinating. I'm not surprised the LA Times was "transfixed." Similarly to her ally Bernie Sanders, her platform focuses heavily on the economic unfairness experienced by the vast majority of Americans. 

Even Don Jr. was impressed.

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Her Vision Statement Reads:

If you're in the top 20 percent of American earners, the economy works well. And for that, we can be grateful. But that 20 percent live on an island that is surrounded by a sea of economic despair. Within that sea, a myriad of personal and societal dysfunctions breed easily – from chronic anxiety and addiction to ideological capture by genuinely psychotic, even fascist elements of our society.

We must respond to this situation, for it represents an unsustainable disquiet.

(You can tell she's a writer, right?)

"A corporate aristocracy – from insurance and pharmaceutical companies to Big Ag to Big Food to chemical companies to gun manufacturers to Big Oil to Big Tech to defense contractors – now tyrannize this country, and the days of their overreach and entitlement must end. No one thing is going to make that happen, but a president who is willing to use the power of the executive branch to stand up to what Roosevelt called the "economic royalists" is a good solid beginning. And I will be that.

As Americans, we need a season of repair, a new beginning, a renewed faith in what's possible."

Her other policies lean to the left of the Democratic party as well. She is pro-abortion rights, vocalizing her support for Roe v Wade (this comment was prior to its being overturned in the Dobbs decision) while also advocating for governments to ensure that women have access to information about their different options.

She also advocates for reparations for Black Americans to compensate them for slavery. She has suggested a figure of between $200-$500 billion. She has said that the money should be spread across 20 years for economic and education projects and should be disbursed based on the recommendation of a selected group of Black leaders.

Williamson is a supporter of action on climate change. She supports the Green New Deal, immediate re-entry into the Paris Climate Accords, and divesting subsidies from fossil fuels and re-investing them in clean energy initiatives.

She has a personal stake in the issue of greater gun control. After 11 Jewish people were murdered at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue, she spoke about how this affected her as a Jewish woman and expressed the need for greater gun regulation.

Again, similarly to Bernie Sanders, she advocates for Medicare for all and for universal health care. She has long been a critic of the pharmaceutical industry, expressing worry that the profit motive behind pharma megaliths could be harming patients.

Her personal connection to political issues doesn't end with gun violence. Her charity, Centres For Living, was inspired by her friend's struggle with breast cancer.

Her career has not been without scandal, of course. She was criticized during her 2020 campaign for advising gay men to "pray the AIDS away," which seems to have stemmed from a paragraph from one of her self-help books. However, Williamson has always denied saying this.

Media pundits are divided on her approach to campaigning. The Washington Post described her as "surprisingly eloquent" and said she gave "meaningful" answers to tricky social policy questions. On the other hand, "extremely vague" and "deeply weird", and a Salon journalist called her "kooky". I don't know about you, but either way, I'd like to hear more from her.

In her campaign materials, her approach was earnest. Her campaign statement quotes Franklin Roosevelt.

"Franklin Roosevelt said we wouldn't have to worry about a fascist takeover in America so long as democracy delivered on its promises. Yes, there is a genuine fascist threat in America today. But we can't just fight the disease; we must build up our societal immune system, as well. That means we must build up our people.

We must provide a massive infusion of economic hope and opportunity to the over 70 percent of Americans who say they feel no economic hope, who simply do what they can to survive what they know is an inherently unjust economic system. Their dreams, and the dreams of their children, are limited. They are depressed and angry about it, and if those feelings are not assuaged – if their needs are not met – then America will be in even bigger trouble than we are now."

Williamson suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination on Feb. 7 after failing to win enough votes in the early caucuses. But then reinstated her campaign, seeming to have become even more fired up about the need to beat Trump. 

When announcing her renewed candidacy, she said: "We need to say to the American people, 'We see your pain.' And we need to say to Donald Trump, 'We see your BS.” 

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