Spiritual guru and author Marianne Williamson had a banner night in the New Hampshire primary, as she captured 5 percent of the vote. While she only won 198 votes in New Hampshire in 2020, this year she won thousands. That’s an awfully impressive showing for a woman who gained fame by peddling New Age spirituality on Oprah in the ‘90s.
Williamson has sought to gain the support of former Bernie Sanders supporters, as she has run a very progressive campaign in which she has called for at least $1 trillion in reparations for slavery, a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war, free tuition at all public colleges, “100 percent renewable energy” by 2035, and universal free healthcare. She also has a bevy of simply wacky campaign promises related to her focus on improving health, such as providing tax credits for gym memberships, giving out free N-95 masks at pharmacies, reducing toxins in food, mandating greater air filtration in public transportation, and offering mindfulness training in schools.
Williamson likens her campaign to Trump’s insofar as she claims to have the same kind of populist connection with her supporters as he does. “I’ve got the same kind of energy going on that he does,” she recently said. “That’s why I’m the one to take him on.” In that same interview, she deemed herself to be a “homeopathic remedy.” She explained, “If we want to beat Donald Trump, I would argue that the last thing we need is a status quo politician. I’m a kind of homeopathic remedy.” Williamson’s strategy to be unabashedly herself and unapologetically progressive has evidently drawn attention and support from a significant number of progressives.
William’s campaign has received increased attention from progressives in recent months because of her decision to immediately call for a ceasefire against Hamas following Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks. On Tuesday, for example, she was featured in a lengthy interview on the progressive news program Democracy Now!, which gave a heavy focus to her stance on the Israel–Hamas war. For instance, the host began the interview by asking, “Can you talk about the fact that you are the only person on the Democratic ticket right now, of the major Democratic candidates, who is supporting a Gaza ceasefire?” Given that the war is a major driver of discontent with President Joe Biden, it is likely that this stance contributed to her strong showing on Tuesday.
For all Marianne Williamson’s pleasantries about being an empathetic spiritual leader, the rumor is that she’s actually a toxic jerk. At least that’s what Politico reported last year after interviewing a dozen of her former staffers. One staffer described her as showing “foaming, spitting, uncontrollable rage” during her many tantrums. Another said that her treatment of staff was “belittling, abusive, dehumanizing and unacceptable.” (READ MORE: Marianne Williamson Makes Complete Sense Now)
With a woman this whacky and allegedly toxic winning 5 percent of the vote in New Hampshire, Biden had better be worried about his ability to win progressives’ support in the general.
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