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Marianne Williamson
Williamson in February 2019
Personal details
Born	Marianne Deborah Williamson (1952-07-08) July 8, 1952 (age 72) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Other political affiliations	Independent (2014)
Children	1
Education	Pomona College (2 years)
Signature

Marianne Deborah Williamson (born July 8, 1952) is an American author, lecturer and activist. She has written 13 books, including four New York Times number one bestsellers in the "Advice, How To and Miscellaneous" category. She is the founder of Project Angel Food, a volunteer food delivery program that serves home-bound people with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. She is also the co-founder of the Peace Alliance, a nonprofit grassroots education and advocacy organization supporting peace-building projects.

In 2014 Williamson unsuccessfully ran as an independent to represent California's 33rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. On January 29, 2019, she announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 United States presidential election.

Early life

Williamson was born in Houston, Texas, in 1952. She is the youngest of three children of Samuel "Sam" Williamson, a World War II veteran and immigration lawyer, and Sophie Ann (Kaplan), a homemaker and community volunteer. Her older brother, Peter, is also an immigration lawyer. Her late sister, Elizabeth "Jane", was a teacher.

Her grandparents were Russian Jewish immigrants. Her grandfather changed his surname from Vishnevetsky to Williamson after seeing "Alan Williamson Ltd" on a train.

Williamson was raised upper-middle-class in Conservative Judaism. Her family attended Congregation Beth Yeshurun, which was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. She learned about world religions and social justice at home, but first became interested in speaking from the pulpit on social matters when she saw her rabbi speak against the Vietnam War. Her family also traveled internationally during the summers when she was a child. She has said that it was through travel that she "had an experience, at a young age, that people are the same everywhere."

Williamson attended Houston ISD's Bellaire High School. While there, she joined a Jewish sorority.

After graduating from high school, Williamson spent two years studying theater and philosophy at Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was roommates with film producer Lynda Obst. Obst described Williamson as someone who "was always picking up stray mystics. A part of her was always looking for something electric in life.” Vanity Fair wrote that Williamson "spent her twenties in a growing state of existential despair":

"I grew up with great parents, and I turned out messed-up. I had no idea what to do with my life. I went from relationship to relationship, job to job, city to city, looking for anything that would give me some sense of identity or purpose...There was some huge rock of self-loathing sitting like a pit in the middle of my stomach during those years, and it got worse with every failure. My pain deepened, and so did my interest in philosophy...I always sensed there was some mysterious cosmic order to things, but I could never figure out how it applied to my own life...By my mid-twenties, I was a total mess."

In 1973, during her junior year of college, Williamson, an active anti-war protester, dropped out of college and lived "a nomadic existence” during what she calls "her wasted decade." She moved to New Mexico, where she took classes at the University of New Mexico and lived in a geodesic dome with her boyfriend. She broke up with her boyfriend a year later and moved to Austin, Texas, where she took classes at the University of Texas. After leaving Texas, she went to New York City, intending to pursue a career as a cabaret singer, but got distracted by "bad boys and good dope.” She ended up becoming a secretary for rock biographer Albert Goldman, who described her as "a sweet, warmhearted girl."

In New York, Williamson suffered from deep depression following the end of a relationship:

"Like a lot of people in our generation, I went too far and I crashed. It's not drugs, it's not alcohol; for me it had more to do with men—and my own hysterical personality. My wildness and my craziness ended up having consequences, and I came out of that period wanting, from the depth of my being, to be a good woman. We do not have, in this generation, a base of consciousness about service and devotion and reverence. The world is dominated by a thought system of selfishness. But I really wanted to devote the rest of my life to helping people. Suffering gives you X-ray vision into other people's suffering."

A Course in Miracles

In 1976 Helen Schucman's book A Course in Miracles, was published. Schucman was a clinical and research psychologist who was a medical psychology professor at Columbia University from 1958 to 1976. After being in a long-term "stressful professional environment," and seeking a way to address the contention, Schucman began to have a series of inner experiences that she understood as visions, dreams, heightened imagery, and an "inner voice" that reportedly revealed itself to her as Jesus.

Schucman was said to have been "emotionally tortured" by the "inner voice" when, on October 21, 1965, it allegedly told her, "This is a course in miracles. Please take notes."

The Course is said to have been chanelled to Schucman between 1965 and 1972, through a process of dictation by the voice. It blended Christian theology and psychology. It is not considered a religious text:

“The course offers a variation on so-called New Thought, the American metaphysical movement that dates back to the 1880s. that the only reality is God, and that negative things like poverty, sickness and fear are unreal. 'surrendering' to God’s plan and approaching life in a loving, non-judgmental way. The change in perception is said to produce miracles." – J. Gordon Melton, Director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion

The Course states that everything involving time, space, and perception is illusory. It presents a monism according to which God is the only truth and reality: perfect, unchanging, unchangeable, extending only love, though not in time and space, which cannot really be comprehended from a dualistic perspective:

“The Course is a very psychologically sophisticated piece of work in its discussion of subjects like identity, ego, defense mechanisms, perception, and projection, and some of these insights are on a par with some of the best writings I've seen in either Western or Eastern traditions. There's an enormous emphasis in the Course on the cultivation of love, and there's a much more extensive and sophisticated treatment of forgiveness than I've seen in any other religious tradition, including Christianity." – Roger Walsh, Professor of Psychiatry and philosophy at the U.C. Irvine

A year after the book was published, Williamson, who was experiencing confusion about God––wondering why He allowed so much pain in the world––was at a party in New York, where she picked up a copy from a coffee table. She dismissed the book:

“I saw Christian terminology and being Jewish, I put it right back down.”

A year later, when she was on a bus, she saw an old neighbor reading the book. When she got home, a copy of the three-volume set was in her apartment. Her boyfriend had bought her a copy.

Williamson then moved to San Francisco. While there, she developed an interest in spirituality, metaphysics, and meditation. She began reading the Course "passionately" and doing the 365 daily exercises that accompanied it. She reconciled it with her Jewishness:

“A conversion to Christ is not a conversion to Christianity. It is a conversion to a conviction of the heart. The Messiah is not a person but a point of view."

Williamson said that the book was her "path out of hell", as she had been "mired in a series of unhappy love affairs, alcohol and drug abuse, a nervous breakdown, and endless sessions with therapists." She was captivated by the book's message on forgiveness:

“I never realized you can’t find peace in your life without forgiving other people. I never knew how many of my problems stemmed from my fear of other people.”

Teaching

In 1979 Williamson returned to Houston, where she ran a metaphysical bookstore coffeeshop, sang Gershwin standards in a nightclub, got married and divorced "almost immediately", and underwent a "spiritual surrender".

In 1983 Williamson had what she has called a "flash" to close the coffeeshop and move to Los Angeles. She said she felt the city would be welcoming to her because of its willingness to "start new conversations." She made the move with $1,000 in her pocket. She got an apartment in Hollywood. Her roommate was a 17-year-old Laura Dern, who noted that Williamson "held prayer groups in our living room."

She got a job at the Philosophical Research Society. As part of their lecture series, she started speaking about A Course in Miracles as "a self-study program of spiritual psychotherapy." Her lectures were grounded in her belief that by consulting the Course every problem can be solved and that miracles are possible through a change in perspective:

“All that a miracle is is a shift in perception from fear to love. It’s simply the notion that when your world view changes, your behavior changes."

Williamson's teachings stemmed from an inspirational message: "Divine love is the core and essence of every human mind." She saw this message as a remedy to misinterpretations of the Bible that, through an emphasis on sin and guilt, could lead to harm (e.g. slavery, depression, self-loathing).

Initially only a few people showed up at her lectures. But as word spread about "the young woman talking about a God who loves you, no matter what", she had to rent church space to accommodate the demand to see her. Four years later she began lecturing monthly in New York as well. Eventually she was invited to speak throughout the U.S. and Europe. Williamson did not charge for her lectures, but had a "suggested donation" of $7 ($15 in 2014) and a policy of not turning people away for lack of money.

Williamson, whose style was called a "trendy amalgam of Christianity, Buddhism, pop psychology and 12-step recovery wisdom," said she did not think of those she taught as her "followers", "flock", or "congregation", but her "audience".

While Williamson was said to have been skilled in making “spiritual matters relevant to her own generation," she did not actively evangelize the Course, saying that she believed doing so would devalue the spirit of the teaching:

"Your purity lies in putting out your truth to the best of your ability, and as soon as you get involved in trying to proselytize, your purity is compromised."

Pastor

At the height of her popularity, in 1998, Williamson sold her $2.7 million home. She decided to stop teaching and join the ministry. She said, “I had a lot going on in my life. I just felt I had to leave. I had a baby.”

Williamson said that becoming a pastor was a way "to get dirt in her fingers again"—"to experience the day-to-day lives of hundreds of people"—and would be helpful in her work as a spiritual guide.

Williamson became the "spiritual leader" for the Church of Today, a Unity Church in Warren, Michigan, where she had 2,300 congregants and 50,000 television viewers. She booked high-profile musical guests such as Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, expanded the bookstore, more than tripled declining church membership, increased the congregation's racial and sexual orientation diversity, brought the church out of mounting debt, and grew the church into one of the country's biggest Unity churches.

Williamson was said to be well-liked among the congregation, with 90 percent voting to approve her proposal to dissolve the church’s formal affiliation with Unity Church and make it an interfaith spiritual center with a broader mission. But board members were reportedly "alienated" by and staff members "fearful" of her temper. Williamson scoffed at accusations that she was overly intimidating, and rebuffed them with a Marlo Thomas quote:

"For a man to be considered ruthless, he has to bomb Cambodia. For a woman to be considered ruthless she has to put you on hold."

A small group of longtime congregants, led by an attorney, threatened a lawsuit against her in order to prevent her from severing ties with the Unity Church.

Additional internal disagreements between Williamson and the board over the direction of the church—stemming from her teachings on social justice, her not getting ordained, the board questioning church finances and firings under her leadership, and her renaming the church the "Renaissance Unity Interfaith Spiritual Fellowship"—led over half of the church's 62 staff members to take steps to unionize, saying they didn't feel "respected" by Williamson, that they wanted more money, and they wanted a bigger voice in the direction of the church.

Williamson resigned in 2003 amid speculation that she otherwise would have been fired. Upon leaving the church, Williamson said of the experience:

"I touched a nerve that I didn't know was there...When I was just writing books and giving lectures, if people disagreed, they just didn't buy your book or attend your lectures. But, if you're leading a congregation, people feel they have the right to tell you what you should or shouldn't talk about. And that hasn't always been easy for me."

Following her departure, congregation members wrote to local newspapers voicing their support of Williamson:

"On the surface, it seems like a sorry tale of church politics and the confines of a large establishment holding back progress. The far bigger story is about the positive change and the diversity that she brought to the church while she served here, as well as her calls to action for service in programs in and around the Detroit area. The changes she made in the direction of the church and, most important, in the consciousness of its members, serve as her legacy." –– Norma Walford, Feb. 8, 2002

"She is typical of charismatic leadership. By definition, a true leader is a few steps ahead of the pack. That is a lonely place to reside. A visionary who is constantly yearning and turning toward a higher good is not only one who inspires, but also one who is unsettling. Most of us like a bit of inspiration, but rebel at unsettling...The saddle of a title and a particular congregation is likely too small for such a big thinker." –– Darlene Swiderksi, Feb. 8, 2002

Williamson remained a guest minister at the church. She moved back to L.A. in 2009.

Author

Williamson has written 13 books. Seven have been on the New York Times bestseller list, with four reaching number one. More than three million copies have been sold.

• A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution (2019)

• Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment (2016)

• The Law of Devine Compensation: On Work, Money and Miracles (2012)

• A Year of Miracles: Daily Devotions and Reflections (2011)

• A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever (2010)

• The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife (2007)

On USA Today's best-seller list for four weeks, it is about how to approach midlife by not dwelling on lost youth but starting new opportunities.

• The Gift of Change: Further Reflections on a Course in Miracles (2004)

• Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness and Making Miracles (2002)

• Enchanted Love: the Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships (1999)

About building a spiritual relationship between partners, the book advocates "a new model of romance with love, righteousness, compassion."

• Healing the Soul of America: Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens (1997)

The book was originally titled The Healing of America. It is about developing more robust political engagement by laying out plans to "transform the American political consciousness and encourage powerful citizen involvement to heal our society" by turning spiritual activism into socio-political activism.:

• A Woman's Worth (1993)

A New York Times bestseller that according to Publishers Weekly gave "sound, empowering advice on relationships, work, love, sex and childrearing." The The Vancouver Sun used a passage from the book in summarizing it:

"The world, as it is, has very little use for womanhood. You are considered a weaker sex and considered a sex object. You are thoroughly dispensable except for bearing children. Your youth is the measure of your worth and your age is the measure of your worthlessness. Do not look to the world for your sustenance or for your identity as a woman because you will not find them there. The world despises you. God adores you."

• Illuminata (1993)

On USA Today's best-seller list for 20 weeks, the book is about how prayer is practical in everyday life by looking to God to transcend life's pains.

• A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles (1992)

On The New York Times bestseller list for 39 weeks in the "Advice, How To and Miscellaneous" category, the book teaches that practicing love every day will bring more peace and fulfillment to one's life. Williamson wrote her most famous quote in this book, which is often misattributed to Nelson Mandela:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Oprah Winfrey said of the book, "I have never been more moved by a book than I am by this one." Winfrey bought 1,000 copies and encouraged her audience to purchase it, telling them that after reading it, she experienced 157 miracles.

Social justice

Williamson has said that she believes spirituality in not selfish, or just about oneself:

“Spiritual seeking without service is self-indulgent. People who are into crystals and rainbows and who use spiritual principles as a how-to to help you get what you want –– that's not what A Course in Miracles is about. A Course in Miracles is about serious devotion to the idea that you are healed to the extent that you allow your life to be used. Service is a direct beam to God. Cynicism is easy; anyone can sneer and jeer. Hope is born of participating in hopeful solutions. As we said in the sixties, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

In the 1980's Williamson began founding charities based on the principles in the Course and her belief that "all of America's social-justice movements—abolitionism, suffrage, civil rights—"stemmed from the spiritual conversation":

“You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world...as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Centers for Living

In 1987, during lunch with a close friend who was struggling with breast cancer, Williamson's friend expressed a need for help: “She said that for years she had been looking for someone to help her heal and now she needed someone to help her die." This request inspired Williamson to create the Center for Living.

After David Geffen contributed $50,000, Williamson co-founded the organization with Louise Hay—a minister of the New Age Church of Religious Science who claimed to have healed herself of cancer—as a refuge from, and to offer non-medical support for, people with "life-challenging illnesses." Williamson took no salary from the organization.

The Center for Living began helping many patients afflicted with HIV/AIDS, particularly gay men, whom it welcomed and accepted when other places shunned them. The Center provided services such as house-cleaning, meditation, massage and community/psychological/emotional support throughout Los Angeles.

In 1989, with another $50,000 from Geffen, Williamson opened another Center for Living in New York, but it was hampered by conflict between staff and the board over Williamson's management style, which an unnamed former associate described as "very controlling." There was also a rift because, while the Los Angeles Center welcomed Williamson's use of prayer in her teachings and the use of the word "God", the more secular New York Center rebuked it.

"Someone said you would hear checkbooks slamming shut all over Sotheby’s (site of a fund-raising auction) if Marianne got up and led everyone in prayer." –– Jean Halberstam, Journalist

Williamson grew frustrated with being asked to not pray:

"God is definitely out of the closet. I refuse to pretend we don't pray here. One of the reasons the political right-wing in this country has had such an upsurge in popularity is because they have at least acknowledged the idea of God, and the so-called liberals have lost by default. The left-wing is too cool to even mention God, so -- Middle America thinks, 'Well, I guess God's in the Republican Party.'"

A few months later, after two of her board members told Vanity Fair that she wanted "to be famous", Williamson deemed that she was being treated as "expendable" and purged the board of several members, including film director Mike Nichols, and the head of the New York Center. Some people believed Williamson was losing trust in several board members and preemptively fired them before they fired her. She disputed that, claiming that she intended to step down as president and wanted to give her successor a clean slate.

The two coastal Centers ended up parting ways, with Nichols going on to create a rival AIDS support organization.

Williamson's defenders said that, as the founder and president of the board, she was within her rights to want a staff aligned with her vision, and that it was "unfair to charge her with a mania for control simply because she didn't want her creation usurped by hostile rivals":

"Marianne is not a god. She’s a human being. She has, you know, insecurities and fears, and she gets angry when things aren’t done right.” –– Howard Rosenman, Board Member of Project Angel Food, 1992

Williamson stepped down from the Center in the summer of 1992. The New York Center was able to remain open following a donation from Cher. Williamson gave the organization a $50,000 check and "graciously walked away." She remained an advisor to the organization.

Project Angel Food

In 1989 Williamson launched Project Angel Food to support HIV/AIDS patients. The program was operated by The Centers for Living, but became so successful that its name recognition outgrew its parent company. By 1992 it had raised over $1.5 million and was delivering nearly 400 hot meals a day to home-stricken AIDS patients in Los Angeles. Williamson deemed the demand for the organization's services to be a positive sign about HIV/AIDS:

"It means that more and more people are living with AIDS, not dying of AIDS. It means we're getting closer and closer to making AIDS a chronic, manageable disease.

Williamson resigned from the organization in March 1992 amid infighting, two months after the board fired executive director and gay activist Steve Schulte, with some speculating that Williamson—who had been open about her wanting him gone—was responsible for the firing. Schulte, who had been the Center's third executive director in five years, was well-liked among the employees because he lobbied for salary increases, but clashed with Williamson over the operational approach to running the organization. His firing led a majority of the remaining employees to call for Williamson's resignation, his reinstatement, the replacement of the entire board, and unionization if Williamson remained. Stephen Bennett, a consultant hired to assess the situation, determined that there were more paid staff on hand than needed, but with a union vote pending, Bennett refused to lay employees off. It was determined that the best option was for Williamson to resign.

Williamson was reportedly torn about stepping down and "very opposed to the unionization of volunteer organizations."

The organization made no announcement about Williamson's departure, and following her resignation, the employees decided not to unionize. The organization initially struggled in her absence, as she had been its most effective fundraiser. Within six months of her departure, the organization was restructured. Over 35 percent of the staff was laid off and counseling services were ceased to over 200 clients, which staff who had been loyal to her called "karmic payback for pushing Marianne out of the picture."

Project Angel Food was able to remain operational after Williamson's departure. By 1998 it had over 1,500 volunteers and nearly 1,000 clients. As of 2018, with expanded food, nutrition and counseling services, it delivered 12,000 meals weekly throughout Los Angeles and had 55 employees, over 3,000 volunteers, nearly 1,500 clients, and revenue of nearly $4 million. In 30 years Project Angel Food has provided and delivered 12 million meals. Williamson remains a trustee of the organization.

The Peace Alliance

In 1998 Williamson co-founded the non-profit Global Renaissance Alliance (GSA) with Conversations with God author Neale Donald Walsch. The organization established a network of "citizen salons" to pray for national growth, peace and liberal causes.

According to Williamson, the GSA sat in small groups, "Peace Circles", of fewer than 12 people every other week and prayed together to articulate a vision for what they want, rather than what others don't want.

In 2004 the GSA's name was changed to The Peace Alliance and given a new mandate focused on grassroots education and advocacy organization with the intent of increasing U.S. government support for peace-building approaches to domestic and international conflicts. The Peace Alliance taught peace activists how to lobby their congressional representatives. Williamson said of the need for this work:

"You don’t just wait until there is a violent eruption and then just try to throw people in jail or just wait until there is a violent eruption and then try to bomb an entire country, there’s just a limit past which this is not workable. Rather, you proactively seek to cultivate the conditions of peace...so we can have a much more sophisticated analysis of what it will take to create a more peaceful world."

The Peace Alliance seeks the establishment of a U.S. Department of Peace. In 2005 Williamson traveled to Washington to help Congressman Dennis Kucinich's effort to establish the department.

The Alliance has raised over $100 million in funding for international peace-building. It has also helped get provisions of the Youth PROMISE Act, embedded in the Every Student Succeeds Act, passed into law. The California Democratic Party adopted key Peace Alliance priorities into its platform.

"Sister Giant" conferences

In 2010 Williamson launched "Sister Giant", a series of conferences to "start a new conversation about transformational politics" and encourage more women to run for office:

"I want to be a cheerleader for women who have never even considered running for office or being involved in a campaign, but who in the quietness of their hearts might think, 'Why not me?'"

In 2012 Yale University's Women’s Campaign School—an independent, nonpartisan, issue-neutral political campaign training and leadership program hosted at Yale Law School—partnered with the series, which focused on how to better address many social issues, including child poverty, campaign finance reform, and high incarceration rates

“No matter who wins the election in November, something even more fundamental needs to be addressed in this country than simply the differences between the two parties. We don't just need new political policies; we need a new politics. We need a new worldview. We need to become more sober stewards of the extraordinary narrative of American history. The most conscious minds are turned off to politics for a reason: it's mean, toxic, corrupt and so forth. But there's a conundrum there, if we're not careful; we can't just not engage. But we need to engage it in a new way, and Sister Giant is simply part of the emerging conversation."

RESULTS

For several years, until 2017, Williamson was a board member of Results Educational Fund (RESULTS), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity dedicated to finding long-term solutions to poverty by focusing on its root causes, and its sister organization, Results Inc., a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organization that encourages “grassroots advocates to lobby their elected officials” and works “directly with Congress and other U.S. policymakers to shape and advance” anti-poverty policies. The organization has 100 U.S. local chapters and works in six other countries.

Williamson continues to serve on a “Council of Advisors,” providing informal advice to the organizations.

Love America Tour

In the winter of 2018, Williamson began touring the United States as part of her Love America Tour, two-hour sessions discussing her belief that "a revolution in consciousness paves the way to both personal and national renewal." She used the slogan “Ignite the Change” to propel the tour along with the message:

"Our own disconnection from the political process, lack of knowledge of how our system operates, lack of understanding of our history, and confusion about many of the issues that confront us now, have led in too many cases to a dangerous emotional disconnection between our country and ourselves."

Williamson likened her message to that of Martin Luther King Jr. when he said:

“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

Political career

2014 U.S. House of Representatives campaign

In 2014 Williamson ran as an Independent for California's 33rd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She was praised as a "tireless" campaigner but criticized for not articulating specifics in her plans. Her supporters deemed her lack of plans a strength and said she was not a "made-to-order candidate" who gave "lip service."

Prominent elected and public officials endorsed her campaign, including Ben Cohen (of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream); former governors Jennifer Granholm and Jesse Ventura; former representatives Dennis Kucinich and Alan Grayson; and Van Jones. Alanis Morissette wrote and performed Williamson's campaign song, "Today".

Williamson campaigned on progressive issues such as campaign finance reform, women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ equality. She raised $2.4 million, of which she personally contributed 25 percent.

Williamson finished fourth out of 18 candidates, with 14,335 votes or 13.2 percent of the vote (Elan Carr was elected with 21.6 percent of the vote). Williamson said of the process and its outcome:

"This conversation of a politics of conscience, a politics of the heart, is much bigger than any one woman winning a congressional seat. And if that woman loses, the conversation goes on. My losing the congressional seat is small; what’s big is the larger conversation...you impact the ethers, and that energy goes somewhere."

2020 Presidential campaign

On November 15, 2018, Williamson announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee in a video in which she said that there was a "miracle in this country in 1776 and we need another one a co-creative effort, an effort of love and a gift of love, to our country and hopefully to our world".

On January 19, 2019, while visiting New Hampshire, Williamson said that she "received enough positive energy to make me feel I should take the next step" and subsequently hired Brent Roske to lead her operation in Iowa.

Williamson, who has stated her disbelief in "traditional politics" and thinks that "they must be overridden," expressed her view that inspiration is underrepresented in political conversation and her thought that the foundations of American democracy were under threat, necessitating a "whole-person politics that speaks to emotions and psychology."

On January 28, 2019, Williamson officially launched her presidential campaign, in front of 2,000 people in Los Angeles, and appointed Maurice Daniel –– who served alongside Donna Brazile in Dick Gephardt's campaign for the Democratic nomination in 1988 –– as her national campaign manager, with her campaign committee, "Marianne Williamson for President", officially filed on February 4.

On February 16, Williamson's campaign announced the appointment of former Congressman Paul Hodes, who represented New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2011, as New Hampshire state director and senior campaign advisor.

As of May 1, Williamson had a campaign staff of 20 and, a week later, announced that she had received enough contributions from unique donors to enter the official primary debates. Her campaign had raised $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2019, during which it received donations from 46,663 unique individuals. Williamson subsequently met the polling criteria, with three unique polls at 1% from qualifying pollsters, on May 23.

In June, Williamson confirmed that she moved to Des Moines, Iowa in advance of the 2020 caucuses. And, in response to the Iowa Democratic Party's proposed creation of "virtual caucuses" in the 2020 race, Williamson's campaign announced that it would appoint 99 "Virtual Iowa Caucus Captains" (each assigned to a single county) to turn out supporters in both the virtual and in-person caucuses.

Later that month, after the first primary debate, the LA Times wrote that Democratic voters were "confused" and "transfixed" by Williamson who declared that her first action as president would be to call New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and say, "Girl, you are so on," a reference to Ardern’s emphasis on building a country that treats its children well.

Following her appearance in the second primary debate, which took place July 30, Williamson was the most Googled candidate in 49 of 50 states and received the fourth-most attention on Twitter. The spike in searches was prompted by her reference to the Flint water crisis (which she described as a "part of the dark underbelly of American society") and her assertion that President Trump was harnassing a "dark psychic force of the collectivized hatred" in the U.S.

Williamson has struggled to have her campaign taken seriously. Her campaign has complained that her name is often excluded from the 2020 surveys. She has also expressed frustration with the media establishment for not granting her the same level of respect Ben Carson or Herman Cain were afforded in previous elections, and for mocking and dismissing her candidacy:

“Who the hell are they to say who is a serious candidate? Who are they to say ‘you know who’ is a long shot?”

Qualifications

Williamson said that her lack of elective office experience does not disqualify her from being president. She implies that not having held office before is, in part, what makes her uniquely qualified. She stated that the belief that only experienced politicians can lead the U.S. is "preposterous," arguing that experienced politicians led the U.S. into unfounded wars, extreme income inequality and environmental harm. She has called for her expertise in empathy, differentiated thinking, and political vision to be valued on par with elected experience and cited Franklin Roosevelt's 1932 statement that "The Presidency is not merely an administrative office. That's the least of it...It is preeminently a place of moral leadership":

"Throughout her campaign, Williamson talks more about ideas than plans. Some people might see that as an inability to lead, but when inciting the darkest parts of humanity helped win the previous election, trying to appeal to the light side doesn’t sound like such a bad idea...She’s doing her best to move the conversation to one of peace and love instead of anger and division. What is so laughable about that?...Campaign promises –– plans for Medicare, plans for how to curb climate change –– are great. But promises without a fundamental shift in thinking will simply become empty promises. Williamson is trying to teach us that our mind-set needs a new baseline, one of true empathy, so that it becomes impossible to deny people basic health care, so that Americans would never for one second think that separating breastfeeding mothers from their infants at the border is in any way acceptable." –– Kerry Pieri, Harper's Bazaar

Williamson cites her belief that the increased visibility, and political participation, of White Nationalists, during the presidency of Donald Trump, is unique and requires "more" than past political experience to defeat him:

“When we look at the role that emotion plays in White Nationalism...the role of emotion in those movements is undeniable." Hate is powerful and hate is contagious. And it is not enough to meet simply with an intellectual analysis or rational argument. The only way you can defeat them is by overriding them through an equal force is exerted when people are awakened to those positive feelings and positive emotions.

Williamson has also stressed that she meets all the requirements to be president as laid out by the U.S. Constitution, and has implied that those who dismiss candidates without elective office experience are elitists impeding the country's democratic process and values. She has appealed for a process that excludes media favoritism in favor of bringing forth candidates to voters, allowing those candidates to "do their best," and then "allowing voters to decide for themselves through their own intelligent analysis."

“If the Founders wanted to say 'That person needs to be a governor or a senator, or a congressman or a lawyer,' then they would have. But they didn't, because they were leaving it to every generation to determine for itself the skillset that that generation feels is most necessary in order to address the challenges of their time...I think we need more than someone who's just qualified because they understand how Washington works. We need someone today who understands how "we" work. And I think my 35-year career gives me those qualifications."

Political positions

Williamson said she developed her liberal views from her father, Sam, who she called "an armchair revolutionary." When Williamson was thirteen, she told her father that a teacher told her that the U.S. had to fight the Vietnam War in Vietnam to prevent it from coming to the U.S. In response, her father took her entire family to Vietnam "to make sure the military-industrial complex didn't eat her brain and convince her that war was O.K." Williamson said she was also affected by a trip she took with her family to Soviet-controlled Hungary as a child, and witnessing her father surreptitiously slip their tour guide his business card and tell him: "You get out of here. I'll take care of you the rest of the way."

Williamson said she was inspired by her father to "grow up and change the world...be the strong one and hold other people who are burdened with serious problems."

Williamson describes herself as a "pretty straight-line progressive Democrat" who has "social revolution" at the center of her being, and describes her policies as a "renovation" of a "sociopathic economic system" focused on "short-term profit maximization":

“My interest is in the creation of an enlightened society."

As of August 15, 2019, Williamson is one of 12 Democratic presidential candidates who have submitted answers to the Council on Foreign Relations' "Election 2020 Questions."

Domestic issues

Criminal justice

Williamson supports intervening early with at-risk youth through resources, education, and counseling. She also supports expanding restorative justice programs, introducing trauma education in the juvenile justice system, expanding life-skills programs in prisons, and advancing hunger prevention, which she states is the "root cause of violence."

Disabled community

Williamson supports the Individuals with Disabilities Act along with initiatives to guarantee voting rights and accessible polling to those with disabilities. She has pledged to appoint disabled citizens to her cabinet, if elected. She also supports the Disability Integration Act requiring healthcare insurers to cover home healthcare. She pledged to try to get the Act passed within her first 100 days in office.

Williamson supports transition programs that move institutionalized people with disabilities to supported independent living. She also supports reforming Social Security Insurance to ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from entitlement programs if they earn more than $1,220 a month. In addition, she expressed support for including disability policy, inclusive of disabled human rights, on U.S. trade deals.

Williamson supports sex education in the disabled community, inclusive of sexual abuse reporting initiatives. She also supports sensitivity training for police, in regard to interacting with those with disabilities and mental illnesses.

Education

Williamson supports free tuition at public colleges, community colleges and trade schools. She also supports a "radical" reduction in college loan debt and total forgiveness of college loan debt "in some cases." She has expressed her support for treating student loans "like other debt," in which debtors could refinance at lower interest rates, and those who declare bankruptcy could have their debt forgiven.

Families

Williamson supports paid leave –– family, medical, pregnancy, and vacation –– pay equity, the introduction of government support for childcare services, union rights, and a universal basic income.

Williamson stated that she supports portable retirement plans, the development of initiatives that protect homeowners from predatory lending, an increase in access to home loan modifications, SNAP coverage for low-income families, and initiatives to understand and decrease homelessness among veterans.

Williamson also supports the creation of what she calls "The U.S. Department of Children and Youth" –– a new cabinet level agency that will provide oversight of childrens' issue, and create programs to help children in regard to infant mortality, food, homelessness, immigration, health, and education.

Finance

Williamson supports making middle-class tax cuts permanent and the repeal of the corporate tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Bill. She also supports the restoration and "modernization" of the Glass-Steagall Act, with the intent of separating commercial banks from investment banks in order to prevent banks from make "risky investments." Williamson has expressed support for tax law that prevents corporations from engaging in tax avoidance, inclusive of tax avoidance for carried interest and ETF income. She also supports enforcement of antitrust laws and the implementation of adding a federal fee onto financial transactions e.g. buying stocks or exchanging currency to enhance government revenue.

Guns

Williamson supports gun control, and has expressed the issue as one personal to her.

On Nov. 4, 2018, Williamson gave a passionate keynote address to several hundred Muslim and Jewish women at the Sisterhood of Salaam-Shalom conference in Doylestown, Pennsylvania following the October 27 murder of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh:

"I am speaking to you as a Jewish woman. Where fear has been turned into a political force in America, we must turn love into a political force. With the history of Muslims and the history of Jews and of blacks and of immigrants it is time, it is time for something fierce to rise up out of us. To say, 'You did it to my grandparents and you are not going to do it to my kids!'"

Williamson supports eliminating the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons, banning bump stocks and high capacity magazines, and eliminating the current limits on the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) ability to track and record gun ownership numbers in America. Williamson also supports mandatory universal background checks and waiting periods for all gun dealers –– including at gun shows and sporting retailers –– child safety locks on all guns, and restrictions on the ability of the mentally ill to purchase guns.

Williamson has also expressed that she supports Red Flag Laws and making the process of obtaining gun licenses similar to that as obtaining a drivers license.

Health care

Williamson supports universal health care under a "Medicare for All type of plan." She has also stated that she supports extending health coverage –– including coverage for home care –– to currently uninsured Americans.

Williamson has expressed that she would like to develop a “health care” system opposed to what she says is a “disease management” system that the U.S. currently has. Inclusive of that, Williamson has expressed support for reimbursement of medical professionals for wellness and preventive care, longer doctor visits, nutrition and lifestyle education and limiting the marketing of hyper-processed and sugary foods. She has also expressed support for ending subsidies to the agricultural production of "unhealthy" food in favor of "healthy" food production.

Williamson supports expanding the role of the EPA and FDA to regulate toxin inclusion in the environment and food supplies, to make recommendations of how to lower societal stress, and to help develop healthy habits in local communities. She also supports limiting the profit motive in medicine, as much as possible, inclusive of seeking non-pharmacological ways to treat mental health issues (where possible), and treating mental health as important as physical health in order to normalize treatment.

Williamson expressed that she also supports treating drug addiction as a mental health issue and de-criminalizing drugs.

Immigration

Williamson supports a full path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants with no "serious" criminal background. She also supports reducing the cost of naturalization and increasing resources to help immigrants navigate the process with more ease.

Williamson supports investing in "smart" border security, which she states, calls for better monitoring of airplanes, ships, trucks crossing the border, and submarines. She also supports overturning the three-year and ten-year re-entry bars.

Williamson also supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and expanding protections and naturalization to undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children, regardless of their current age.

LGBTQ community

Williamson supports The Equality Act. She also supports equality in health care, housing, employment, and services. She has also expressed support in protecting the LGBTQ community from marginalization due to Census questionnaire.

Minimum wage

Williamson supports an increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. She also supports increasing the minimum wage for localities based on an amount determined to be a living wage for a given geographical area, and then adjusting that wage for inflation as needed.

National Security

Williamson supports "redesigning" the partnership between the Defense Department and the State Department that would elevate the need for peace, putting it on equal footing with the need for military preparedness. Williamson supports the creation of a United States Department of Peace to aid in her proposed redesign.

Williamson supports decreasing the military budget and redirecting those funds toward peacebuilding and peace maintenance efforts e.g. mediation, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, post-conflict transitional justice, and "on-the-ground programs." She also supports maintaining a budget that would not impede military preparedness, while investing in a "sustainable society" inclusive of the development of clean energy and green manufacturing, retrofitting buildings and bridges, economically empowering women, and educating children.

Williamson supports military engagement in the event that a NATO ally is threatened, in the event that the United States is under threat of attack, or "when the humanitarian order of the world is at risk."

National Service

Williamson supports the creation of a program of which every citizen, between 18 and 26, can perform one year of voluntary National Service –– helping schools, hospitals, infrastructure, sustainability, regenerative agricultural projects, the military, the Peace Corps –– that can be remunerated for housing, "basic costs," or financial support for higher education.

Native American community

Williamson supports returning dominant control of the Black Hills to the Sioux Nation, halting construction of the Keystone Pipeline, recognizing tribal sovereignty over their territory. She also supports increasing funding to Native lands’ justice systems, protecting tribal sovereignty and governance, and protecting Native religious freedom.

Williamson has expressed support for "rethinking treaties" and continuing annual tribal nations' summits in Washington D.C.

Reparations

Williamson supports the distribution of $200-$500 billion in reparations for slavery, spread across 20 years for "economic and education projects," to be disbursed based on the recommendation of a selected group of black leaders. In taking this position, Williamson became the only candidate to ever submit a detailed plan for reparations for black Americans.

Williamson, who first expressed her support of reparations in her 1993 book, Illuminata –– advocating that the U.S. will not reconcile its racial and economic divide without them has said of the policy proposal –– states that her policy on reparations is not part of "a black agenda,"

“Where I'm coming from is not that I have a 'Black agenda.' I have an 'American agenda"...The reason I want reparations, as opposed to simple race-based policies race-based policies leave open the question whose fault it is that this gap even exists. And race-based policies provide justice, but it doesn't provide the power that capital provides, and that is really what we're talking about here. We're talking about an economic gap that existed in 1865, that was actually increased with another 100 years. So after 200 years of slavery, you had another 100 years of institutionalized violence against black people in America. My point –– reparations carry more than the power of purely financial restitution. They carry moral force. We need to deal with these things on a deeper, more transformative level. This should not be considered "cuckoo." This should not be considered "wacky."

Reproductive rights

Williamson supports abortion access, services and choice. She also supports the Supreme Court's decision on Roe v. Wade.

International issues

Climate change

Williamson deems climate change to be "the greatest moral challenge of our generation." She stated support for the Green New Deal, immediate re-entry into the the Paris Climate Accords, and has stated that she would be willing to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it included greater protections for workers and the environment.

Williamson also support the U.S. directing subsidies from fossil fuels, including coal, and re-investing them in the development of renewable energy, both in the U.S. and abroad, particularly in developing countries.

Diplomacy

Williamson has called for the establishment of a Department of Peace to expand global diplomacy, mediation, and educational and economic development. She supported the creation of such a department in 2005, backing efforts by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, to try to establish it.

Afghanistan

Williamson supports safe withdrawal of all U.S. troops as soon as possible and would consider the use of a peace-keeping force, such as the United Nations, to assist with the transition.

Africa

Williamson, recognizing Africa as the continent with the fastest-growing population, supports engagement with the continent in order to thwart the growth of terrorist groups and health epidemics, which she believes threaten U.S. security, while capitalizing on opportunities in areas where corruption is being reversed, free elections are being held, and economies are growing.

China

Williamson stated she supports the U.S. vigorously using its position i.e through CFIUS to prevent China from buying strategically important companies which she believes will help defend U.S. economic interests and human rights e.g. the Uighurs and residents of Hong Kong.

Iran

Williamson supports rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). She also backs increased diplomacy, a change of relations to address human rights in Iran, sanctions relief and the purchasing of Air Bus airplanes to support travel, entrepreneurship and normalization.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Williamson supports a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which secures both the legitimate security of Israel and the human rights, dignity and economic opportunities of the Palestinian people. She expressed support for using the power of the Presidency to exert pressure on Israel to restart talks on this solution.

“I don’t think the ultimate answer will be about settlements or checkpoints. The work of the genuine peace-builders must be on the level of the heart. Until the U.S. returns to where it can be considered an honest broker by the Palestinians, as well as Israelis, it won’t be able to play a constructive role."

Williamson supports rescinding President Trump's recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel. She has also stated her belief that settlements on the West Bank are illegal and does not support the Blockade of the Gaza Strip. However, Williamson does support the occupation of the Golan Heights until there is a stable government in Syria that can legitimately be a part of the negotiations.

North Korea

Williamson supports principled diplomacy, including citizen diplomacy and family reunification. She stated she would declare a formal end to the Korean War, replace the Armistice Agreement with a peace regime and back South Korean efforts to improve inter-Korean relations through confidence-building and tension reduction measures. Williamson also supports the creation of Inter-Korean economic, cultural and civic projects, humanitarian relief efforts, and the inclusion of women, youth, and civil society in negotiations.

Williamson expressed that she would support US-DPRK trust-building programs and continuing POW/MIA remains repatriation. She also said she would be open to supporting partial sanctions relief in exchange for some dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in order to encourage de-escalation and improved relations. Williamson expressed she would also seek to negotiate a peace agreement.

Russia

Williamson supports extensive investigation into Russian interference of U.S., Ukrainian and European elections. She also supports increased cyber-security for U.S. elections.

Saudi Arabia

Williamson supports ending all U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen. She also supports halting all arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Williamson expressed that she would support an independent criminal investigation into the killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, including any role that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman may have played in his death.

Venezuela

Williamson supports creating conditions for effective dialogue between moderate factions, representing both Nicolás Maduro and Juan Guaidó, that seek a peaceful transition. She also expressed support to maintain existing efforts to promote dialogue, in particular, those currently being led –– with moderate success –– by the Norwegian government. Williamson stated her belief that the best policy in Venezuela is to support efforts that allow the country’s citizens to decide on their political future, even if the U.S. does not agree with the outcome.

Beliefs

Health and vaccinations

Williamson has been attributed with a “both-and” approach to physical and mental health.

This approach accepts medical science as part of God’s power to heal. For example, surgery may be deemed as God answering prayers to heal. This logic invokes, what Johns Hopkins Medicine says is the "strong link between 'positivity” and health' in which "positive attitude improves outcomes and life satisfaction across a spectrum of conditions."

Williamson, who believes that “the spirit is impervious to illness,” confirmed this belief when she expressed that "people who are prayed for get out of the emergency room faster" and "people who have been diagnosed with a life-challenging illness, who attend spiritual support groups, live, on average, twice as long after diagnosis."

Although Williamson has stated her support for the necessity and value of vaccinations and antidepressants, she has been criticized for her skepticism about the pharmaceutical industry's influence in setting guidelines for how these medications are administered, citing her belief that "their profit motive" could result in harm to patients. She has also been scrutinized for criticizing overprescription of antidepressants, for questioning if such antidepressants play a role in suicides, for saying that the prescriptive definition between sadness and clinical depression is “artificial,” and for having mocked the diagnostic process of clinical depression as being "a scam."

In January 2012, Williamson had Gwen Olsen, who worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 15 years, on her radio show, "Living Miraculously." Olsen implied that she personally believed antidepressants could be dangerous and linked to autism. During her 2020 Presidential Campaign, excerpts of her past comments have often conflated her skepticism on the trustworthiness of the pharmaceutical industry with embracing anti-vaccination dogma. Critics point to Williamson who, during a podcast and speaking about vaccine exemptions, having "glibly" described the process by which vaccines are mandated as sounding "Orwellian" and likening the mandate to the abortion debate. She later apologized, saying she "misspoke," and that the comments erroneously made her "sound as though I question the validity of life-saving vaccines."

Image

Williamson has been a guest on numerous television programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Daily Show, and The View.

In October 1991, Williamson was the officiant of the wedding between Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky. She stated that the mocking publicity from the wedding harmed her credibility as she was labeled "Guru to the Glitterati."

Williamson is often called terms like, "New Age guru." The label has been associated with Williamson for years; however, she has long-rejected such terms, calling them "outrageous," and does not like to be labeled with them. Religious organizations have also said of her, that she is not "New Age," but teaches an "evolved Christianity —– blending elements of Eastern mysticism into Christian language –– using terms "tied to old New Age." She has stated that she finds it "creepy" to be referred to as a "spiritual leader" and prefers to be called "author."

Williamson has often commented on how she is portrayed in the media, and believes that her image as a "seeker" has brought ridicule in the press. In a 2014 New York Times interview, while running for Congress, Willamson said, “I’m sure they’re going to say I’m a New Age nutcase, dragon lady, lightweight thinker.”

Management style

Williamson's management style has been called "high-handed," "imperious," and "overbearing." Articles written about her in the 1990s mentioned an "explosive, indiscriminate temper," and noted that she was a “control freak” who was insecure about being upstaged or challenged.

Williamson has acknowledged a "gruff side" to her management style in interviews. However, she stated that she believed she was being unfairly criticized due to her high standards, her unwillingness to accept incompetence, and the pressure of staging high-profile fund-raising events. While acknowledging that she could improve on her style, she has also stated her belief that misogyny plays a role in how she is portrayed as a leader, believing her brashness or ambition would not be so "vilified" if she were not a woman.

In past business dealings, Williamson has clashed with those who create business plans, set goals and write memos as it runs counter to her approach of "pray and ask God for wisdom of the heart.”

Sexism

Williamson's looks are often referenced in press about her. For example, Martin Gardner, of Skeptical Inquirer, called her a "sexy little guru." Zack Munson, of the Washington Examiner, said Williamson "is tall, brunette, beautiful, and quite squarely put together." Mark Leibovich, of the New York Times, said of her, "Williamson, it should be noted, looks amazing for 61, in that well-moisturized-L.A.-famous-person kind of way." Katherine Miller, of Buzzfeed called Williamson, " striking at 66."

After a colleague reportedly called her a "bitch" for demanding to pray before a 1989 New York City charity event, she wryly replied, "If I’m a bitch, I’m a bitch for God." The term has been associated with her ever since.

Personal life

Williamson was briefly married in 1979 to a Houston businessman. She's called the marriage "a 15-minute mistake." She is said to have dated actor, Dwier Brown, and film producer, Hawk Koch.

Williamson took in, and cared for, a friend who had terminal cancer. During the AIDS crisis, she was often at the bedsides of the dying.

In 1990, she gave birth to a daughter, India ("Emma"). India pursued a doctorate in history at Goldsmiths College in London.

In 2006, a Newsweek Magazine poll named her one of the 50 most influential baby boomers.

In 2008, during the financial crisis, Williamson lost two of her homes in the Detroit metro area, valued at nearly $3 million, to foreclosure.

In 2013, Williamson reported having assets roughly estimated to be valued between $1 million and $5 million (not including personal residences).

Bibliography

• A Return to Love, First Edition 1992 (ISBN 9780060927486)
• Imagine What America Could Be in the 21st Century: Visions of a Better Future from Leading American Thinkers (ISBN 0451204697)
• Emma & Mommy Talk to God (ISBN 9780060799267)
• Healing the Soul of America: Reclaiming Our Voices as Spiritual Citizens (ISBN 9780684846224)
• A Woman's Worth (ISBN 9780345386571)
• Enchanted Love: The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships (ISBN 9780684870250)
• Everyday Grace: Having Hope, Finding Forgiveness, And Making Miracles (ISBN 9781573223515)
• Illuminata: A Return to Prayer (ISBN 9781573225205)
• The Gift of Change (ISBN 0060816112)
• The Law of Divine Compensation: On Work, Money and Miracles (ISBN 0062205412)
• A Course in Weight Loss: 21 Spiritual Lessons for Surrendering Your Weight Forever (ISBN 1401921531)
• Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment (ISBN 9780062205445)
• A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution (ISBN 0062873938)

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74. Pfannenstiel, Brianne (January 21, 2019). "Inbox: Marianne Williamson, who formed a presidential exploratory committee (…) is making "a big announcement" Jan 28 and then will be in Des Moines for a kickoff event Jan 31. She's hired @brentroske as Iowa director for her exploratory committee. #iacaucus" (Tweet). Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via Twitter.
75. Kaji, Mina (February 20, 2019). "Marianne Williamson: Oprah confidant, author, spiritual teacher and presidential candidate". ABC News. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
76. "FEC Form 2: Statement of Candidacy" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. February 4, 2019. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
77. DiStaso, John (February 16, 2019). "JUST IN to @WMUR9 – Democratic presidential candidate @marwilliamson lands top NH campaign advisor – Former US Rep. @PaulHodes signs on as Senior Campaign Advisor & NH State Director. They have a busy #fitn schedule on tap. #nhpolitics #WMUR" (Tweet). Retrieved March 1, 2019 – via Twitter.
78. Stewart, Briana (May 9, 2019). "Marianne Williamson's campaign says she's qualified for the first 2020 Democratic debate". ABC News. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
79. Schouten, Fredreka (April 15, 2019). "Author Marianne Williamson raised $1.5 million in presidential bid". CNN. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
80. Shepard, Steven; Montellaro, Zach (May 23, 2019). "Spirituality guru Marianne Williamson locks in 2020 debate spot". Politico. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
81. Judd, Donald (June 6, 2019). "Marianne Williamson moves to Des Moines in bid for the Iowa caucuses". CNN. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
82. Rynard, Pat (February 28, 2019). "Marianne Williamson Recruits "Virtual Captains" For Virtual Caucus". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
83. "Marianne Williamson leaves Democratic debate watchers transfixed and confused". Los Angeles Times. June 28, 2019.
84. "Marianne Williamson Tops Google Searches of Candidates After Second Democratic Debate". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
85. ^ Holly Bailey (May 31, 2019). "Marianne Williamson gets adoring crowds and sells millions of books. Can she make a mark on the presidential field?". Washington Post.
86. Kerry Pieri (August 2, 2019). "You Don't Have to Vote for Marianne Williamson — Just Don't Call Her Crazy". Harpers' Basaar.
87. Adam Serwer (August 6, 2019). "Conservatives Have a White-Nationalism Problem". The Atlantic.
88. Eric Levits (August 7, 2019). "White Nationalist Terrorism Is a Problem. Trump Is a Bigger One". New York Magazine.
89. Dhrumil Mehta (August 16, 2019). "Americans Are More Worried About White Nationalism After El Paso". FiveThirtyEight.
90. ^ Marianne Williamson - Running for President on a Morality-Driven Platform: The Daily Show. Comedy Central. August 11, 2019. Event occurs at 8m54s.
91. Overtime with Bill Maher: Marianne Williamson, Jennifer Granholm, Buck Sexton, Josh Barro (Television production). HBO. Event occurs at 8m33s.
92. ^ "Candidates Answer CFR's Questions: Marianne Williamson". Council on Foreign Relations. July 30, 2019.
93. "The Issues: Criminal Justice". Marianne 2020.
94. ^ "The Issues: Disability Justice". Marianne 2020.
95. ^ "The Issues: Economy". Marianne 2020.
96. "The Issues: Veterans". Marianne 2020.
97. Emily Stewart (July 29, 2019). "Marianne Williams proposes new government department focused on children".
98. ^ "The Issues: Gun Safety". Marianne 2020.
99. ^ Yadidi, Noa (February 28, 2019). "Marianne Williamson: Everything you need to know about the 2020 candidate". Axios. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
100. ^ "The Issues: Health Care". Marianne 2020.
101. "The Issues: Immigration". Marianne 2020.
102. "The Issues: LGBTQ Rights". Marianne 2020.
103. Rynard, Pat (February 3, 2019). "Love, Reparations, And Fighting Back: A Marianne Williamson Iowa Tour". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
104. ^ "The Issues: National Security". Marianne 2020.
105. Cite error: The named reference Megaphone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
106. "The Issues: National Service". Marianne 2020.
107. ^ "The Issues: Native American Justice". Marianne 2020.
108. "The Issues: Racial Reconcilation & Healing". Marianne 2020.
109. Burns, Alexander; Flegenheimer, Matt; Lee, Jasmine C.; Lerer, Lisa; Martin, Jonathan (January 21, 2019). "Who's Running for President in 2020?". The New York Times.
110. Esther Wang (March 29, 2019). "Marianne Williamson Wants Your Perception to Shift". Jezebel. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
111. Astead W. Herndon (February 21, 2019). "2020 Democrats Embrace Race-Conscious Policies, Including Reparations". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
112. ^ Gabrielle Bluestone (June 28, 2019). "Marianne Williamson Marches On". New York Times.
113. "The Issues: Reproductive Rights". Marianne 2020.
114. "The Issues: Climate Change". Marianne 2020.
115. Woodruff, Judy (June 6, 2019). Why Marianne Williamson thinks she can defeat Trump. PBS NewsHour (Video). Event occurs at 3:30 – via YouTube.
116. Woodruff interview. Event occurs at 6:15.
117. Cite error: The named reference GayDivide was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
118. Mark Herringshaw. "Both/And: Faith with Pharmacy". Belief.net.
119. {{cite web|author=Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD|title=Both/And: Faith with Pharmacy|url=https://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/Part-5-Modern-Medicine-Healing-Prayer-Can-Work-Together-5991%7Cwebsite=Divine Mercy|date=2 Nov 2014}
120. {{cite web|author=Jeanie Lerche Davis|title=The Power of Prayer in Medicine|url=https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20011106/power-of-prayer-in-medicine#1%7Cpublisher=Web MD|date=6 Nov 2001}
121. Bruce G. Epperly (2008). "Prayer, Process, and the Future of Medicine". Journal of Religion and Health. 39 (1). Heidelberg, Germany: Springer: 23–37.
122. "The Power of Positive Thinking". Johns Hopkins Medicine.
123. Cite error: The named reference Maher2015 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
124. ^ Cooper presses Williamson on her mental health views. CNN. August 1, 2019. Event occurs at 0m00s.
125. {{cite news|author=Rochelle Hampton|title=Four Marianne Williamson Supporters on Why They Think She’d Be a Good President|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/08/marianne-williamson-supporters-president-2020-why.html%7Cpublisher=Slate%7Cdate=2 Aug 2019}
126. {{cite news|author=Cameron Jospeh|title=Marianne Williamson Knows You Think She's a Joke. But Her Campaign Isn't.|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zmp7mw/marianne-williamson-knows-you-think-shes-a-joke-but-her-campaign-isnt%7Cpublisher=Vice%7Cdate=1 Jul 2019}
127. {{cite news|author=Merle Ginsburg|title=Marianne Williamson Doesn’t Mistrust Vaccines, Just “Big Pharma”|url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/marianne-williamson-vaccines/%7Cpublisher=Los Angeles Magazine|date=21 Jun 2019}
128. {{cite news|author=Maggie Astor|title=‘I Should Be More Careful With Twitter’: Marianne Williamson on Those Mental Health Comments|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/us/politics/marianne-williamson-mental-health.html%7Cpublisher=New York Times|date=27 Jul 2019}
129. {{cite news|author=Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck|title=Marianne Williamson promoted anti-vaxxer theories on her radio show in 2012 episode|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/15/politics/kfile-marianne-williamson-anti-vaxxer-theories/index.html%7Cpublisher=CNN%7Cdate=15 Aug 2019}
130. Kaplan, Anna (June 20, 2019). "2020 Candidate Marianne Williamson: Vaccine Mandates Are 'Orwellian'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
131. Pearce, Matt (June 20, 2019). "2020 candidate Marianne Williamson apologizes for calling vaccine mandates 'Orwellian'". Los Angeles Times.
132. Shen-Berro, Julian (June 20, 2019). "Marianne Williamson Apologizes For Calling Vaccine Mandates 'Draconian'". HuffPost.
133. ^ Mark Leibovich (April 24, 2014). "The Real House Candidates of Beverly Hills". New York Times Magazine.
134. Mark Leibovich (July 8, 2019). "Evil, sin, reality and life as a 'Son of God': What Marianne Williamson is saying isn't new". Get Religion.
135. ^ Martin Gardner (October 1, 1992). "Marianne Williamson and 'A Course in Miracles'". Skeptical Inquirer. 17 (1). Amherst, New York: Skeptical Inquirer: 17–23.
136. Zack Munson (February 17, 2014). "God Help Us". Washington Examiner.
137. Katherine Miller (March 19, 2019). "Into America's Spiritual Void With Marianne Williamson". Buzzfeed.
138. "Marianne Williamson on What's Wrong—and Right—with the World". Oprah. December 29, 2012. Retrieved February 8, 2018.

External links

• Official website
• Marianne Williamson for President website
• Marianne Williamson, article and shows at Oprah.com
• Marianne Williamson on "Politicking with Larry King"
• Sister Giant
• The Peace Alliance
• Project Angel Food
• Appearances on C-SPAN

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