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Marianne Williamson 2024 presidential campaign

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Marianne Williamson for President
Campaign2024 U.S. presidential election (Democratic Party primaries)
CandidateMarianne Williamson
AnnouncedMarch 4, 2023
February 28, 2024
July 2, 2024
SuspendedFebruary 7, 2024
June 11, 2024
July 29, 2024
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Key peopleCarlos Cardona (former campaign manager)[1][2]
Peter Daou (former campaign manager)[3]
Harvey J. Kaye (campaign advisor)[4]
Robin Vogt (national volunteer coordinator)[5][better source needed][6][better source needed]
ReceiptsUS$5,136,128.43[7] (April 30, 2024)
SloganA New Beginning[citation needed]
Disrupt the System[citation needed]
Dedicated to the People[citation needed]
Website
Official website

Marianne Williamson, an author, political activist, and candidate for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 2020, announced her campaign for the 2024 United States presidential election on March 4, 2023.[8] Williamson was the first major Democratic candidate to officially announce their candidacy,[9][10] as President Joe Biden did not announce his re-election bid until April 2023.[11] Williamson suspended her campaign on February 7, 2024, as a result of her losses in the New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada Democratic primaries. She later retracted her campaign suspension and officially rejoined the race on February 28, 2024, following her third place finish in the Michigan Democratic primary ahead of Dean Phillips, whose campaign was still active at the time. On June 11, 2024, Williamson announced her decision to suspend her campaign again. On July 2, 2024, Williamson again announced her decision to resume her campaign following calls for Biden to drop out after his performance at the June 27 presidential debate. On July 29, 2024, Williamson announced she did not file a run against Harris in the planned virtual roll call vote, ending her campaign.

Background

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Further information: Marianne Williamson 2020 presidential campaign

Williamson first ran for office in the 2014 U.S. House elections, seeking to represent California's 33rd congressional district as an independent. She placed third in the nonpartisan blanket primary and did not advance to the general election.[12] She later ran a campaign for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination.[13] She formally ended her campaign on January 10, 2020,[14] endorsing Bernie Sanders and then Joe Biden as the nominee.[15][16]

Campaign

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Williamson speaking at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Announcement and launch

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On February 18, 2023, Williamson confirmed she would make "an important announcement" in Washington, D.C., on March 4 regarding the 2024 presidential election.[17] In an interview with Politico published the day before she teased the announcement, she said if she were to run, she would remain with the Democratic Party, in an apparent move to set up a primary challenge against incumbent President Joe Biden; she stated a factor into her decision would be to address what she described as Biden's "message that the economy is getting stronger".[18]

Williamson formally announced her candidacy in a twenty-minute speech she delivered at Union Station.[19] Facing steep competition in the primary against an incumbent, several journalists and commentators have deemed her campaign a "long shot".[20] Some Williamson supporters have criticized the media for focusing on their view of her as a long shot candidate, rather than on the substance of her platform.[21][better source needed][22][better source needed]

In late November 2023, Williamson and fellow Biden challengers, Dean Phillips and Cenk Uygur, claimed they were unfairly disqualified from getting on the Florida Democratic Party primary ballot, which the party discounted.[23] The following week, the underdog trio arranged to appear together and respond to the Republican candidates' December 6 debate and discuss their policy positions on Uygur's The Young Turks (TYT) network.[24][25]

Staff relations

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Williamson's campaign has had trouble with maintaining relations with her staff. In March 2023, Politico published a report detailing Williamson's alleged abuses towards her staffers on her 2020 campaign. The staffers, who remained anonymous due to having signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), described a toxic work environment. One reported it as, "It would be foaming, spitting, uncontrollable rage." "It was traumatic. And the experience, in the end, was terrifying." In contrast to her career message of love, she threw phones, some said, and shouted at them so intensely they were reduced to tears. Her anger over logistics in South Carolina had led her to strike a vehicle repeatedly, to the extent that her hand swelled so much she had to be transported for medical attention.[26] Williamson has called the article a "distraction" and a "hit piece," but acknowledged she had room for personal growth.[27]

On May 20, 2023, Williamson's campaign manager Peter Daou announced via Twitter he was leaving the Williamson campaign,[28] citing a need to care for his and his wife's ailing parents,[29] and stating that he still "believe[s] deeply in the campaign’s platform."[30] Additionally, her deputy campaign manager Jason Call told Politico that he had resigned the day before, but refused to provide any more details.[28] In September 2023, Daou became the campaign manager for Cornel West's 2024 presidential run under the Green Party ticket.[31]

In June 2023, Williamson's second campaign manager, Roza Calderon, left the campaign, with a friend contending that Calderon had "tried to right the ship and lead this campaign. Marianne knocked her down every chance she got."[32]

In early July 2023, six more staff members left the Williamson campaign in a mix of firings and resignations, which included her entire South Carolina team.[33] Reportedly, several staff members had been disappointed with Williamson about her lack of ballot access operations. Williamson announced a new book scheduled to come out in September 2023, which led one of the former staffers to call her campaign a "grift" for media attention to promote her new book.[34]

In January 2024, her third campaign manager, Carlos Cardona, resigned.[2]

Primaries

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Williamson came in third place in the 2024 New Hampshire primary, with four percent of the vote.[35] Following the primary, she held a volunteer Zoom meeting where she announced a tentative decision to drop out of the race, but after the call was leaked to the X account OrganizerMemes, she decided to stay in.[36][37]

She received 2.1% of the vote, and zero delegates, in the 2024 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary on February 3, 2024,[38] which was the first state to earn delegates for Democratic candidates, as the New Hampshire primary was unsanctioned.[39] Williamson was on the ballot for the 2024 Nevada Democratic presidential primary on February 6, 2024, and received 3% of the vote causing her not win any delegates.[40]

Suspensions and unsuspensions

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Williamson suspended her campaign on February 7, 2024, following her losses in the New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada primaries, winning 5,016 votes (4.0%) in New Hampshire, 2,786 votes (2.1%) in South Carolina, and 3,909 votes (3.0%) in Nevada.[41]

Williamson announced on February 28, 2024, that she was "unsuspending" her presidential campaign following the over 100,000 votes for "Uncommitted" in the Michigan Democratic primary.[42][43]

On Super Tuesday, Williamson received about 200,000 of the more than six million votes cast. She was largely shut out of delegates, as she failed to break 15% of the vote in any states. Her best finishes were in Oklahoma, where she received 9.1% of the vote, and Virginia, where she received 7.8% of the vote.[citation needed]

Williamson announced on June 11 that she would leave the race.[44]

On July 2, Williamson reentered the race following criticism of Biden in the aftermath of his debate with Donald Trump.[45] Following Biden's suspension of his campaign and subsequent endorsement of Kamala Harris on July 21, Williamson continued calls for an open convention, arguing that the vice president should not be "anointed to the position of nominee."[46]

She withdrew over a week later, on July 29, announcing that she did not file a run against Harris in the planned virtual roll call vote, ending her campaign.[47]

Political positions

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Further information: Marianne Williamson § Political positions

Described as a progressive Democrat,[48] Williamson's policies are similar to those of her former 2020 rival Bernie Sanders,[49] whom she initially endorsed after exiting that race.[50] Sanders has likewise expressed praise for Williamson,[51] although he has endorsed Biden in the 2024 race.[52] According to ABC News, her priorities include free healthcare, free college, and free childcare.[53] Williamson promotes progressive and social democratic policies in the spirit of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, such as a 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights[54] promoted by her friend, campaign advisor and FDR historian, Harvey J. Kaye and Alan Minsky of the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA).[55][56]

Williamson has called for creating a Department of Peace,[57] which would promote peace and diplomacy, as well as a Department of Children and Youth, which Williamson says are severely neglected and calls the current treatment of children by the government "collective neglection".[57] She believes the United States needs mass-mobilization in order to prevent a climate catastrophe.[58] She also supports certain proposed constitutional amendments, such as the Equal Rights Amendment and a proposed amendment to enshrine rights for individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.[59]

Williamson expressed support for universal-basic-income during her 2020[60][61] and 2024 presidential runs.[62]

Polling

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Main article: 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries § Opinion polling

In opinion polling, Williamson typically averaged around the high single digits in national polls.[63] The highest poll number recorded was 13% which she received in a November Fox News poll.[64]

Endorsements

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Main article: 2024 Democratic Party presidential primaries § Endorsements

Some early supporters of Williamson include actor Keith David,[65] as well as political commentators Krystal Ball and Kyle Kulinski.[66]

References

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  1. ^ Reynolds, Nick (June 29, 2023). "Marianne Williamson's New Campaign Manager Ready to 'Expose' Democrats". Newsweek. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Gibson, Brittany. "Marianne Williamson ends her 2024 presidential run". Politico. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  3. ^ Brittany Gibson (May 22, 2023). "Marianne Williamson loses top 2 campaign officials in a matter of days". Politico. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Kaye, Harvey (September 20, 2023). "Who Should Lead the Democratic Party in 2024?". Divided We Fall. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "New endorsements + Update from the road in NH!". Archive of Political Emails. July 5, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Welcome to Volunteer Group". Marianne Williamson 2024. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  7. ^ "Report of Receipts and Disbursements – Marianne Williamson for President". FEC. May 20, 2024.
  8. ^ Weissert, Will (March 4, 2023). "Marianne Williamson opens long shot 2024 challenge to Biden". San Diego Union-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  9. ^ Cadelago, Christopher; Lemire, Jonathan; Stokols, Eli; Otterbein, Holly; Schneider, Elena; Kapos, Shia (February 22, 2023). "Biden may not run — and top Dems are quietly preparing". POLITICO. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  10. ^ Heilman, Greg (March 5, 2023). "Who is Marianne Williamson, the newly announced Democratic presidential candidate for 2024?". Diario AS. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Cadelago, Christopher; Lemire, Jonathan (April 25, 2023). "Biden dives back in, announces reelection bid". Politico. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  12. ^ "Marianne Williamson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Scocca, Tom (August 21, 2020). "Marianne Williamson Won the Democratic Primary". Slate. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  14. ^ Antonia Blumberg; Lydia O’Connor (January 10, 2020). "Marianne Williamson Drops Out Of Presidential Race". HuffPost.
  15. ^ Perano, Ursula (February 23, 2020). "Marianne Williamson endorses Bernie Sanders". Axios.
  16. ^ Williamson, Marianne [@marwilliamson] (August 19, 2020). "We need to elect @JoeBiden because there's a fascist in the White House.Period.Full stop. But we also need to see through the systemic corruption off our current political system & reinvent it quickly. It's an unworthy container for our collective longing to create a better world" (Tweet). Retrieved August 23, 2020 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Shapero, Julia (February 18, 2023). "Marianne Williamson to make 'important announcement' on March 4". The Hill. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  18. ^ Egan, Lauren; Stokols, Eli (February 17, 2023). "Marianne Williamson is entering the chat". Politico. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  19. ^ King, Ryan (March 4, 2023). "Marianne Williamson launches 2024 campaign with attack on economy". Washington Examiner. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  20. ^
  21. ^ "MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan SMEARS Marianne as Spoiler". Breaking Points. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  22. ^ "Media Already SMEARING Marianne Williamson". The Kyle Kulinski Show. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  23. ^ Perry, Mitch (December 2, 2023). "Dem presidential candidates left off the FL ballot are digging in; party is standing by the process". Florida Phoenix. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  24. ^ Timotija, Filip (December 5, 2023). "Biden primary challengers to appear in televised event after GOP debate". The Hill. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  25. ^ "TYT is the First to Host all Democratic Challengers to President Joe Biden in Wednesday Debate Coverage". FOX8 WGHP. December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  26. ^ Egan, Lauren (March 15, 2023). "Marianne Williamson's 'abusive' treatment of 2020 campaign staff, revealed". Politico. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  27. ^ "Marianne Williamson responds to Politico article alleging abuse toward staff". BBC News. March 16, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Gibson, Brittany (May 22, 2023). "Marianne Williamson loses top 2 campaign officials in a matter of days". POLITICO. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  29. ^ Daou, Peter [@peterdaou] (May 22, 2023). "CAMPAIGN STATEMENT: My friends and family know that my wife @leeladaou and I have been caring for our ailing parents. It's been tough to do that and focus full time on a presidential campaign. Here is the official @marwilliamson campaign statement for why I decided to leave" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Trudo, Hanna (May 22, 2023). "Marianne Williamson loses two key campaign officials". The Hill. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  31. ^ Fung, Katherine (September 11, 2023). "Democrat Who Left Party Over Ignored Groping Claims Backs Cornel West". Newsweek. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  32. ^ Gibson, Brittany (June 20, 2023). "Marianne Williamson loses second campaign manager in two months". POLITICO. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  33. ^ Trudo, Hanna (July 6, 2023). "Marianne Williamson's campaign suffers new round of staff exits". The Hill. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  34. ^ "Marianne Williamson keeps bleeding staff: 6 more depart in internal feud". POLITICO. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  35. ^ "2024 Democratic Presidential Primary Election Results". NH SOS. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  36. ^ Gibson, Brittany (February 7, 2024). "Marianne Williamson ends her 2024 presidential run". Politico. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  37. ^ "Meme-ifying 2024: how some young organizers are working to get their peers engaged". WWNO. January 22, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  38. ^ "South Carolina Democratic primary election results 2024: Biden wins". Washington Post. February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  39. ^ Gangitano, Alex (February 3, 2024). "Biden easily wins first official Democratic primary in South Carolina". The Hill. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  40. ^ "Nevada Presidential Primary Live Election Results 2024 - NBC News". NBC News. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  41. ^ Gibson, Brittany (February 7, 2024). "Marianne Williamson ends her 2024 presidential run". Politico. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  42. ^ "Williamson restarts campaign after 3% in Michigan primary vote". United Press International. February 28, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  43. ^ "Marianne Williamson says she is 'unsuspending' her longshot presidential campaign". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  44. ^ Murray, Isabella (June 12, 2024). "Marianne Williamson signals end of 2024 bid now that presidential primaries have ended". ABC News. Archived from the original on June 13, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  45. ^ Fortinsky, Sarah (July 2, 2024). "Marianne Williamson calls to replace Biden: 'Today I throw my hat in the ring'". The Hill. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  46. ^ Walker, Jackson (July 21, 2024). "Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson calls for open convention: 'We will win'". WHAM-TV. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  47. ^ Lowenkron, Hadriana (July 29, 2024). "Marianne Williamson Ends Longshot 2024 Presidential Bid". Bloomberg News. Yahoo!. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  48. ^ "Marianne Williamson on the Issues". On the Issues.
  49. ^ "Marianne Williamson becomes 1st Democrat to enter presidential race". www.ny1.com. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  50. ^ Grayer, Annie (February 24, 2020). "Marianne Williamson endorses Bernie Sanders for president". CNN. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  51. ^ "Bernie Sanders says Marianne Williamson will run a 'strong campaign' and raise 'very important issues' in 2024". Yahoo News. March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  52. ^ "Bernie Sanders endorses Biden, rules out 2024 bid of his own". AP News. April 25, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  53. ^ Helmore, Edward (March 5, 2023). "Marianne Williamson says 2024 bid is not a challenge to Biden but to a system". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
  54. ^ "Media ignored Marianne Williamson 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights". NJTODAY.NET. May 22, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  55. ^ "Opinion | A Call for All Progressive Candidates and Officeholders to Embrace a 21st Century Economic Bill of Rights | Common Dreams". www.commondreams.org. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  56. ^ @harveyjkaye (July 13, 2023). "An Economic Bill of Rights | Marianne 2024 - proud to be her advisor" (Tweet). Retrieved January 23, 2024 – via Twitter.
  57. ^ a b "Marianne Williamson 2024 | Official Presidential Campaign Website". Marianne 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  58. ^ "Climate Action Policy Statement". Marianne 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  59. ^ "LGBTQIA+ Rights Policy Statement". Marianne 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  60. ^ Guzman, Zack (February 4, 2020). "Marianne Williamson supports Yang's UBI but says 'it's not the second coming of Christ' for student loan crisis". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  61. ^ Clifford, Catherine (August 21, 2019). "Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, like opponent Andrew Yang, wants to give every adult $1,000 per month". CNBC. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  62. ^ "Universal Basic Income". Marianne 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  63. ^ Nichols, John (November 22, 2023). "Marianne Williamson Is Polling Just As Well Against Biden as Nikki Haley Is Against Trump". The Nation. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  64. ^ Blanton, Dana (November 15, 2023). "Fox News Poll: Support for Trump hits 62% in GOP primary". Fox News. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  65. ^ Webber, Rod; Pespisa, Lauren (April 17, 2023). "Marianne Williamson, Cornel West and MSFB at "Dept of P.E.A.C.E" Awards". YouTube. Rod Webber's Dumpster Fire Emporium. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  66. ^ King, Ryan (March 4, 2023). "Allies of Marianne Williamson lay out game plan to take down Biden". The Washington Examiner. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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