Marianne Williamson to support Andrew Yang in Iowa caucuses

Hayley Miller
Updated

Marianne Williamson announced she will be throwing her support behind Andrew Yang in the upcoming Iowa caucuses, saying he brings much-needed “self-confidence, levity and positivity” to the 2020 presidential race.

Williamson, who ended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier this month, said in a series of Instagram posts that she admires Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) but believes Yang needs her help in the race more “right now.”

“Bernie and Elizabeth will make it past Iowa and beyond,” Williamson wrote. “I’m lending my support to Andrew in Iowa, hopefully to help him get past the early primaries & remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. We need that this year. We need to lighten up on a personal level, because the moment is so serious on a political level.”

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Part 3 of 3: It’s not a transactional politics, but a relational one, that will win in 2020. And that takes me to Andrew. Three personality characteristics define how Andrew comes across. They are self-confidence, levity, and positivity. Many believe these are less important than the details of his stances on health care, the economy, or foreign affairs. But such things are every bit as important as where he stands on those issues, because at a time like this the issues aren’t the only issue. The most important thing is that we win in 2020. Nothing, nothing, nothing is more important. We won’t beat Trump only on the issues; if that were the case, he wouldn’t be president today. We will beat him by forging an emotional connection with the American people that is more compelling than his. Self-confidence, levity and positivity are exactly what America has lost and needs to regain. It’s also what millions of Americans long for. Andrew’s personality is like a tuning fork realigning us with something we need to retrieve, taking us back to a more innocent time, making us remember to chuckle. There was a time, not so long ago, when America was self-confident and positive about our future. This is not an unserious issue at all, for that chuckle has more power to take us over the line in 2020 than does all the anger in the world. Quite simply, the demon doesn’t know how to eat it. Andrew is light in tone, but he is deep in substance. I know from first hand experience the breadth of his intellect and the expansiveness of his heart. That “humanity first” stuff applies not only to his policies but to how he goes through life. Bernie and Elizabeth will make it past Iowa and beyond; I admire them both, but right now they don’t need my help. I’m lending my support to Andrew in Iowa, hopefully to help him get past the early primaries & remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. We need that this year. We need to lighten up on a personal level, because the moment is so serious on a political level. Otherwise the months ahead will be too tough on all of us. The only one who’d be laughing at the end of the year is Trump. And we must not, must not, must not let that happen.

A post shared by Marianne Williamson (@mariannewilliamson) on Jan 22, 2020 at 9:01pm PST

Williamson, a self-help author, noted that she isn’t endorsing any specific candidate yet.

“What I’m endorsing are issues; and the most important one now is a psychological issue – which candidate will make the strongest emotional connection with the American electorate,” Williamson wrote.

“Andrew’s personality is like a tuning fork realigning us with something we need to retrieve, taking us back to a more innocent time, making us remember to chuckle,” she added. “Andrew is light in tone, but he is deep in substance.”

The Iowa caucuses, which have historically proven to be a strong predictor of who will receive a party’s nomination, will take place Feb. 3.

A Monmouth University poll released last week showed former Vice President Joe Biden leading the pack of Democratic candidates in Iowa, with 24% of likely Democratic voters supporting him. His three closest rivals were Sanders with 18% support, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg with 17% and Warren with 15%.

The same poll found Yang with 3% support from likely Democratic voters.

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  • This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

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