Marianne Williamson Lays Off Entire Campaign Staff, Yet Remains Seemingly Unfazed?

Marianne Williamson is a spiritual guide, new age author, friend to many a celebrity, activist, and 2020 presidential candidate. But soon, there might be a “former” added to that last label. The Democratic primary candidate has laid off the entirety of her campaign staff across the nation, naturally prompting the question: Is Williamson preparing to drop out of the presidential race?

Nope, said Williamson in an email to her supporters on Thursday evening.

“We’ve had a wonderful team, and I am deeply grateful for their energy and talents. But as of today, we cannot afford a traditional campaign staff.

I am not suspending my candidacy, however; a campaign not having a huge war chest should not be what determines its fate. The point of my candidacy has been to tell the heart’s truth and that does not cost money. Forging a new path for campaigns is going to be necessary, if we’re ever to forge a new path for our country.”

Far be it from me to question the judgement of a candidate running for President of the United States (this is a joke), but running a national campaign without any staff seems challenging at best and disastrous at worse. While it’s somewhat admirable that Williamson has decided to continue her campaign solo (and I, too, am committed to campaign finance reform), it’s difficult to imagine what a “successful” campaign would look like for her—especially since she has failed to qualify for the last four Democratic primary debates.

Although Williamson’s candor about topics such as reparations for descendants of slaves and vaccination initially drew buzz from media and voters alike, she has often failed to register in national polls, and even before these mass layoffs, had only kept a very small staff.

During an appearance on the Breakfast Club during August of last year, Williamson talked a bit about her approach to her presidential campaign:

“Some people have said to me, what’s your strategy? Even strategy is one of those relics of the linear thinking of the 20th century.

I’ll tell you my strategy, the power that emerges from fierce authentic truth articulated among us!”

It’s a nice sentiment, but unfortunately “telling the heart’s truth” might not be enough to pay the campaign trail bills.