When a self-help author like Marianne Williamson ends a campaign, you’re hoping for a floral, motivational speech that mentions the sunset at least once. And, in fact, Williamson’s announcement on Wednesday night that she is suspending her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination does so in the very first sentence.
“I read a quote the other day that said that sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful, too,” said Williamson, who appeared to be paraphrasing a poet on Instagram. “And so today, even though it is time to suspend my campaign for the presidency, I do want to see the beauty.”
If you haven’t been paying attention to the zombie Democratic primary, Williamson ran against Biden in the early states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. She managed to come in second, earning 2,726 votes, about 123,000 short of the incumbent president. But she only placed third in Nevada on Tuesday — several thousand votes behind the ballot option of “none of these candidates” — which was apparently the death knell for her campaign. Among candidates running to elevate their personal platform, that leaves only Representative Dean Phillips to challenge Joe Biden for the ticket.
While the campaign did not reach the heights of her 2020 primary, which included a viral moment of clarity on the debate stage, Williamson once again ran to Biden’s left, challenging the system on everything from a universal basic income to what her campaign website describes as animal protection. “We laid it down in ways that we should all be proud of,” Williamson said in the announcement. “We did what we could to shed some light in some very darkened times. For that, I will always be so grateful. I take memories into my heart that will last forever.” So will the 11,446 people who voted for her.
