Author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson announced Friday she is ending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Williamson’s departure leaves 13 candidates in the race, but only six have qualified for next Tuesday’s debate in Iowa.
“I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible opportunity to share our message,” Williamson wrote to supporters. “With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now. The primaries might be tightly contested among the top contenders, and I don’t want to get in the way of a progressive candidate winning any of them.”
She concluded: “Finally, these are not times to despair; they are simply times to rise up. Things are changing swiftly and dramatically in this country, and I have faith that something is awakening among us. A politics of conscience is still yet possible. And yes….love will prevail.”
CNN reports: After launching her campaign in January 2019, Williamson told CNN she was running to bring a “moral and spiritual awakening” for America. … Williamson’s most notable policy proposal was likely her call for at least $100 billion — but potentially as much as $500 billion — in reparations for the descendants of slaves. … In a debate in June, she said her first act as president would be to call New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and say, “Girlfriend, you are so on.” … She got attention in the following month’s debate, too, when she said President Donald Trump had harnessed a “dark psychic force of collectivized hatred.”
More from NBC News: The non-traditional candidate built her campaign around themes of love and “big truth.” Her campaign slogan encouraged voters to “join the evolution,” a play on the political “revolution” some of the other candidates promised to ignite. Williamson made slavery reparations, child welfare and a proposed “Department of Peace” pillars of her platform. … The candidate drew criticism for her skeptical questioning of vaccine mandates, and for comments about depression and mental illness. Williamson’s main splash in the mainstream came through viral moments during the first two Democratic debates, earning her online support and inspiring a bevy of memes and making her one of the most Googled candidates after early debates, according to the search giant.
Watch a few highlights of Williamson from the debates below:
