Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, is making a long-shot bid for chair of the Democratic National Committee, pitching herself as a “visionary” who would help the party take on the MAGA movement.
Williamson, 72, announced her campaign in an open letter to the party Thursday, laying out the need to “recognize the psychological and emotional dimensions of [Donald] Trump’s appeal” and to “create the energy to counter it.”
Known for her spiritual leanings, Williamson, who was once Oprah Winfrey’s spiritual adviser, touted her experience in “personal transformation” as a skill she would bring to the role in a post on X.
“I know something about changing people’s hearts and uplifting people’s spirits; it’s an expertise just like any other,” she wrote. “And if you don’t think emotional and psychological factors are necessary if we’re to have any hope of creating a field of energy even approaching the collective adrenaline rush of the MAGA movement, then I don’t know what to tell you.”
With the Democratic Party facing a crossroads after its trouncing in the 2024 election, it’s unclear how persuasive Williamson’s pitch to win over voters’ hearts will be. Her brand of eccentricity made a splash during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, but her 2024 campaign received little attention. She has never held public office and she has no discernible influence in the party.
What’s more, Williamson is challenging some Democratic heavyweights — relative to her, at least. So far, those who have thrown their hat in the ring include Wisconsin Democratic Party chair Ben Wikler; Minnesota party chair and DNC vice chair Ken Martin; former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley; New York state Sen. James Skoufis; and Nate Snyder, a former Department of Homeland Security official who served under Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Williamson is the first woman to enter the race.
Williamson’s bid for the position was almost immediately dismissed by Skoufis, who wrote on X Thursday: “We aren’t going to rebuild our party through new-age spiritual intervention. We are going to rebuild our party with leaders who know how to win elections.”
The election for DNC chair will take place on Feb. 1, less than two weeks after Trump’s inauguration.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
