Former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson on Tuesday called for the Democratic Party to replace President Biden at the top of the 2024 ticket and said she would seek the top spot herself.
“President Biden deserves our respect, our compassion, and our gratitude,” Williamson said in a statement. “The debate last week, however, made clear that the time is now for another Democratic candidate to take his place on the November ballot.”
“Today I throw my hat in the ring,” added Williamson, who turns 72 next week.
Williamson said Democrats must restart the nominating process and hold an open convention in August, adding, “We need to recalibrate, and we need to do so quickly.”
Williamson’s statement marks the third time she has announced her candidacy in this cycle.
The onetime spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey launched her long-shot campaign in March 2023, ending her bid in February after poor showings in early primary contests. She won just 5,000 votes in New Hampshire’s primary, before winning 2 percent of the vote in South Carolina and about 3 percent in Nevada.
Three weeks later, Williamson announced she was “unsuspending” her campaign for president, after there was some sign of discontent among primary voters in Michigan, where “uncommitted” got 13 percent of the vote, and Williamson, despite no longer being a candidate, got 3 percent.
Last month, Williamson thanked her supporters and wrote on the social platform X, “Now that the primaries are complete, I’m no longer a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president.”
Williamson, a writer and progressive Democrat, ran to the left of Biden and hoped to appeal to voters who are not satisfied with establishment party politics. She first ran for president in 2020 but lost in the primary.
Williamson’s announcement comes amid chatter about the prospect of replacing Biden at the top of the ticket, after his shaky debate performance worried some Democrats about his viability as a candidate.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) became the first House Democrat to urge Biden publicly to remove himself from the 2024 race.
