Marianne Williamson, a self-help author and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, announced a bid to chair the Democratic National Committee on Thursday.
“This year, the party faces a more critical problem than we have ever faced before,” Williamson wrote on Substack. “The MAGA phenomenon now challenges the very way that politics are done in America, and the traditional tool kit of party organizing will not be enough to meet the moment.”
Jaime Harrison, the current chair of the DNC, will not seek re-election and prominent Democrats are already jostling to replace him following the party’s defeat during the November election.
Williamson, 72, was once a spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey and drew national attention in 2020 during her first bid for the White House. She ran a largely unsuccessful campaign this year, but suspended her effort in February (although she did consider re-joining the race to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris).
Williamson wrote Thursday she planned to use her experience on the campaign trail in her pitch to DNC leaders, saying she had seen “up close the fraying bonds of affection between the party and the working people of the United States.”
“In the 2024 election, throughout my campaign I warned of a coming electoral disaster if Democrats did not listen more deeply to the pain of people throughout America,” Williamson wrote. “My experience of what went wrong has given me insight into what needs doing to make things right.”
The Countdown To Trump Is On
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The DNC’s 448 committee members are expected to vote on a new chair on Feb. 1. Others to step forward so far include former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Ben Winkler, the chair of Wisconsin’s Democratic Party, and James Skoufis, a New York state senator.