A certain presidential hopeful could foster a whole new demographic for the Democratic Party that could prove problematic. She also has her own notion about politics.

“What I’m saying is that there are two separate political universes. And one is, you know, the universe of the pundits and what they’re saying in any particular hour, and what’s on social media, and what the polls are and what the money is. And then there’s another political universe. And that’s your conversation with voters. And that conversation with voters, to me, that’s democracy,” Marianne Williamson told Fox News following the Democratic debate on Wednesday night.

Some say she has a very specific role to play.

“Marianne Williamson is what the religious left has been waiting for,” writes Tristan Justice, a staff writer for The Federalist.

“Williamson’s rhetoric reaches an audience of millions of voters hungry for a new kind of ‘religious left’ to act as a counterweight to the ‘religious right’ that has dominated the discussion of religion in politics,” Mr. Justice says.

“Her hippie-like spiritual preaching on the campaign trail have put on a spectacle that have caused few political observers to take the self-help author’s candidacy seriously, but her participation in the race could mean cultivating a new core of Democratic voters on the left,” he continues.

Ms. Williamson is, he adds, “the Democratic Party’s new spiritual guru.”

The new guru has a crossover audience, though. She won the Drudge Report candidate poll with 47% of the vote following the first night debate, her nine rivals on the night trailing far behind. The candidate is candid about her standing.

“The establishment media sees me as a real threat to the status quo,” she told Hill.tv.

“People are so invested in creating this false narrative about me as the crystal lady, wacky new-age nutcase. If you really think about it, I must be doing something right that they’re so scared,” said Ms. Williamson, a 67-year-old self-help author and spiritual adviser to none other than Oprah Winfrey.

Her books include “The Gift of Change” and “A Politics of Love: A Handbook for a New American Revolution.”

THE DEMOCRATIC HANGOVER

Oh dear, the current crop of Democratic presidential debates are now history, which means the candidates must now get back to the reality of campaigning. The glitzy stage, the play-by-play of their every move will be replaced by appearances at state fairs, local barbecues, town hall meetings and diners.

Yes, well.

In the aftermath, the candidates must continue to cobble together distinctive messages that will last for the next 450-plus days leading up to the actual election — which must seem like a mirage at the moment. The hopefuls have to spar with one another without giving the public an impression that the Democratic Party is in complete disarray. They must raise lots of money with their anti-Trump messages — despite the powerful influence of the gold-plated Trump economy.

The Dems must look reasonable and electable, despite calling for over $200 trillion in spending, according to a new analysis by The Washington Free Beacon.

It may be all for naught, though.

“Same radical Democrats. Same big government socialist message. Same winner of the debates: President Donald Trump,” observes Kayleigh McEnany, national press secretary for Mr. Trump’s campaign.

MEANWHILE IN CINCINNATI

The quick pace of President Trump’s reelection campaign continues. He will journey to Cincinnati on Thursday for a jumbo Keep America Great rally — marking his seventh visit to the city, and one which likely will boost the reelection campaign of Rep. Steve Chabot. He is currently being challenged by two fellow Republicans and three Democrats for his congressional seat.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, can expect a hero’s welcome.

“I have not seen in my time in politics a particular candidate who generates this kind of enthusiasm in person,” Alex Triantafilou, chairman of the Hamilton County Republican Party, told WKRC, the local CBS affiliate.

“It’s getting increasingly and increasingly competitive. I think 2020 is a bellwether year about the future of this community,” said Aftab Pureval, a Democrat and the Hamilton County Clerk of Courts who ran against Mr. Chabot in the 2018 midterms and lost by 5 percentage points.

“We want to show a different version of moving forward,” Mr. Pureval noted.

STOCK MARKET ALARMISTS

“Analysts are less interested in truth than in being outlandish.”

So says MarketWatch analyst Mark Hulbert, commenting on unreliable stock market predictions in the age of the proverbial Trump Bump.

“Call me cynical, but I believe that when an analyst makes a prediction, he is less interested in being right than he is in gaining notoriety and new subscribers. Being outrageous and an outlier is therefore a virtue,” Mr. Hulbert notes.

THE REPUBLICAN REALITY CHECK

The Republican Party is on solid war footing.

“We have built the largest ground game in history,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tells Fox News.

“When we have these conversations neighbor-to-neighbor, and we’re knocking doors and we’re telling voters the truth of what’s happening under this administration, we will undercut the media that wants to share this negative narrative that this is a racist president — or that nothing’s been done for you,” Mrs. McDaniel noted.

“You know what? They know it’s true because they’re seeing their paychecks are bigger, their families are doing better, their lives are better because of this president and that’s how we’re going to win this election. And under President Trump we’ve raised record money — which means we’re already in the field talking to these voters now,” she said.

POLL DU JOUR

• 74% of Americans say global cyberattacks are a “major threat” to the U.S.; 72% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats agree.

• 57% overall say Iran’s nuclear program is a major threat; 65% of Republicans and 50% of Democrats agree.

• 57% overall say global climate change is a major threat; 27% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats agree.

• 54% overall say China’s power and influence is a major threat; 58% of Republicans and 52% of Democrats agree.

• 50% overall say Russia’s power and influence is a major threat; 35% of Republicans and 65% of Democrats agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 1,502 U.S. adults conducted July 10-15 and released Wednesday.

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