Marianne Williamson drops out of the 2020 race

Marianne Williamson.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After laying off her entire campaign staff, Marianne Williamson is out of the 2020 race.

Williamson, the author and spiritual guru who made a splash during the first two Democratic debates but failed to qualify for the events in recent months, announced Friday she's suspending her campaign.

"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," Williamson wrote.

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This news didn't come as a shock after Williamson last week laid off her entire campaign staff nationally, although she indicated at the time she would stay in the race, as "it's amazing what you can do with volunteers." Later asked whether she would remain in the race, she told ABC News, "I'm not verklempt, but I'm thinking deeply."

Williamson is the latest 2020 Democrat to exit the field after former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro suspended his campaign last week. In her announcement, Williamson thanked her volunteers, staff, and contributors, promising "I will hold you in my heart forever" while adding, "may you be blessed on your journeys as you have so blessed mine."

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.