Williamson becomes the first Biden challenger in Democratic primary
WASHINGTON — Bestselling self-help author Marianne Williamson, who brought quirky spiritualism to the 2020 presidential race, has announced she’s running for president again, becoming the first major Democrat to challenge President Joe Biden for his party’s nomination in 2024.
Williamson, 70, was scheduled to kick off her campaign with an event Saturday in Washington. Without mentioning former President Donald Trump, she noted in a weekend Facebook post that his unconventional White House win makes it “odd for anyone to think they can know who can win the presidency.”
“I’m not putting myself through this again just to add to the conversation,” Williamson wrote. “I’m running for president to help bring an aberrational chapter of our history to a close, and to help bring forth a new beginning.”
Williamson running against a sitting president from her own party would be a long shot under any circumstances. But that’s especially true this cycle, as the Democratic establishment — and even presidential hopefuls who could have competed with Biden — has closed ranks with remarkable uniformity behind the president.
Williamson says she plans to follow her Washington announcement with travel to states voting early in the Democratic primary. That includes New Hampshire, where she suggested she’d participate in the state’s primary if it defies Democratic National Committee rules and holds the nation’s first presidential nominating contest despite the party making South Carolina its leadoff state.
“I feel my forty years being up close ... with the trauma of so many thousands of individuals gives me a unique perspective on (how) to help repair America,” Williamson wrote. “We need politics that treat not just symptoms, but cause; that does not base itself on ... endless corporate profit, but on ... our principles and values.”