Marianne Williamson

Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American spiritual teacher, politician, author, and lecturer. She has published 14 books, including four New York Times number one bestsellers.
  She is the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels program that serves homebound people with AIDS
 in the Los Angeles area, and the co-founder of The Peace Alliance. Williamson is on the Board of Directors of the RESULTS organization, which works to end poverty in the United States and around the world.

Williamson unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. In December 2024, she announced her candidacy for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship in the 2025 election.

Early life
Williamson was born in Houston, Texas, in 1952.Munson, Zack. "God Help Us" , The Weekly Standard, Vol. 19, No. 22. 2014 February 17Merl, Jean. "Marianne Williamson's spiritual path into political realm", Los Angeles Times, 2014 January 13Schindehette, Susan. "The Divine Miss W" , People, 1992 March. 09Appelo, Tim. "Love Prophet" , Entertainment Weekly, 1992 March 6 Williamson studied theater and philosophy at Pomona College in Claremont, California for two years before dropping out in her Junior year and moving to New York City to be a cabaret singer. In 1979, Williamson returned to Houston, where she ran a metaphysical bookstore.

Career
In 1997 Williamson published her book Healing the Soul of America (hardcover originally titled The Healing of America) and began a more energetic political engagement. In this book, Williamson laid out plans to “transform the American political consciousness and encourage powerful citizen involvement to heal our society.”

She has been a guest on television programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and Real Time with Bill Maher. Her multiple appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show made her popular and earned her the nickname of Oprah Winfrey's "spiritual advisor". In December 2006, a Newsweek magazine poll named her one of the fifty most influential baby boomers. She is known for being a popular teacher of A Course in Miracles, a non-religious self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy and has written many of her own books also.

Williamson has been called a "New Age guru". She has stated that she prefers to be called an author.

2014 U.S. House race
Williamson ran and lost in the election for the seat of California's 33rd congressional district in 2014.

Famous elected and public officials endorsed her campaign, including former Governors Jennifer Granholm and Jesse Ventura; former Congressmembers Dennis Kucinich and Alan Grayson; and Van Jones, among others. Alanis Morissette wrote and performed her campaign theme song, entitled Today.

2020 presidential campaign

On August 2, 2018, The Guardian reported that she was exploring the possibility of a presidential run in 2020. On January 28, 2019, Williamson formally announced her campaign in Los Angeles. After only appearing in one of the debates and low poll numbers, Williamson ended her campaign on January 10, 2020. She later endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders in February 2020.

2024 presidential campaign

Williamson began "working on putting a machine together" to run for president in 2024 visiting early primary states in early 2023. She said in a January 2023 interview that she could run against Joe Biden in a presidential primary. In late February 2023, she confirmed her plans to run for president and would make an announcement in early March. 

Williamson formally announced her second presidential campaign on March 4, 2023.

She received 4% of the votes in the New Hampshire primary. Following the New Hampshire primary, she held a volunteer Zoom meeting where she announced a decision to drop out of the race, but after the call was leaked to the X account OrganizerMemes, she decided to stay in. She officially dropped out on February 7, 2024 after receiving only 2.1% of the vote in the South Carolina presidential primary and 2.9% of the vote in the Nevada primary with no delegates.

After the Michigan primary, Williamson decided to reenter the race when she received 3% of the vote, three weeks after ending her campaign.

2025 DNC Chairmanship election

In December 2024, Williamson announced her candidacy for chairperson of the Democratic National Committee in the 2025 chairperson election.

Personal life
Williamson is Jewish, and was briefly married. In 1990, Williamson had her only child, India Emma.

References

Other websites

 Official Web Site
 Marianne Williamson, article and shows at Oprah.com
 Marianne Williamson on "Politicking with Larry King" 
 Sister Giant
 The Peace Alliance
 Project Angel Food

Category:1952 births
Category:Living people
Category:2020 United States presidential candidates
Category:2024 United States presidential candidates
Category:Educators from California
Category:American political writers
Category:Writers from Houston
Category:Politicians from Houston
Category:Writers from California
Category:Politicians from California
Category:Educators from Houston
Category:Writers from Washington, D.C.
Category:Politicians from Washington, D.C.
Category:Educators from Washington, D.C.
Category:American spiritual writers