Marianne Williamson backs Andrew Yang in Iowa caucuses because 'we need to lighten up'

Marianne Williamson.
(Image credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Marianne Williamson is looking for a Democratic candidate who can give us all a good "chuckle," and she knows just the one to do it.

Williamson, the author and self-help guru who ended her 2020 campaign earlier this month, announced on Instagram this week she's backing Andrew Yang in the Iowa caucuses.

In the post, Williamson praised Yang's "self-confidence, levity, and positivity," writing these qualities are "every bit as important" as his stance on the issues because "we will beat [President Trump] by forging an emotional connection with the American people that is more compelling than his."

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She went on to praise Yang for "taking us back to a more innocent time, making us remember to chuckle ... 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."

While Williamson said she admires both Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), she's backing Yang to "hopefully to help him get past the early primaries" so he can "remind us not to take ourselves too seriously," as "we need to lighten up on a personal level."

Williamson did make clear in her post she isn't offering an official endorsement here, only saying Yang is who she's backing in Iowa. Warren and Sanders appear to be her candidates of choice after Yang, though if either hopes to earn an official endorsement, they'll likely have to prove themselves just as chuckle-worthy as Yang. A Last Comic Standing-style stand-up competition may be in order.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan is a staff writer at The Week. A graduate of Hofstra University with a degree in journalism, he also writes about horror films for Bloody Disgusting and has previously contributed to The Cheat Sheet, Heavy, WhatCulture, and more. He lives in New York City surrounded by Star Wars posters.