Advertisement Democrat Marianne Williamson ends her campaign for president Author and lecturer announces decision in email to supporters after laying off staff a week ago Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Spiritual self-help author and lecturer Marianne Williamson ended her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination Friday, telling supporters she did not want to "get in the way" of a progressive candidate with a better chance of succeeding.>> Download the FREE WMUR appWilliamson made the announcement in an email to supporters Friday afternoon. She did not make an endorsement. "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 in an email to supporters. "As of today, therefore, I'm suspending my campaign."The decision comes a week after she laid off her entire campaign staff – in a move first reported by WMUR. She cited financial issues.Earlier this week, she insisted that she was "regrouping" but was maintaining a “skeletal” staff. Her former national campaign manager, however, reiterated that the entire staff had in fact been laid off as of Dec. 31.Williamson brought her unique campaign style to New Hampshire often since joining the race a year ago, accompanied by her former senior adviser and state campaign director, former U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes."Against long odds, Marianne Williamson carried an important holistic message into the national political dialogue about rekindling the spirit of our country as a good and decent nation, founded on high ideals and capable of restoring our shared values of equal opportunity, real freedom and justice," Hodes said after learning that Williamson had ended her campaign."In these challenging times, we all hope to see our country less anxious, more unified and committed to doing what’s right in the world."Williamson last appeared in New Hampshire on Monday, speaking to students at College Convention 2020 in downtown Manchester.“I stayed in the race to take advantage of every possible opportunity to share our message," Williamson wrote to supporters Friday."With caucuses and primaries now about to begin, however, we will not be able to garner enough votes in the election to elevate our conversation any more than it is now.”“The ideas we discussed are important, and I hope they’ll find seed in other ways and in other campaigns,” she wrote.“From rescuing underserved, at risk and traumatized children; to proactively waging an agenda for peace and making humanity itself America’s greatest ally; to integrative health models within our health care system and incentivizing health; to reparations to achieve deeper reconciliation between races; to repudiating the corporate aristocracy; to the creation of a more mindful politics; to changing from an economic to a humanitarian bottom line; to initiating a season of moral repair -- we brought issues to the fore that I hope contributed to the campaign season.”Her email carried the subject line: “With love and gratitude …” It included a photo of her campaign bus literally riding into the sunset.“Things are changing swiftly and dramatically in this country, and I have faith that something is awakening among us," she wrote. "A politics of conscience is still yet possible. And yes… love will prevail.”Williamson campaigned on a message of love and urged voters to “join the evolution.”She based her campaign on “six pillars for a season of moral repair,” including economic justice, a U.S. Department of Children and Youths, a U.S. Department of Peace, a “Whole Health Plan,” reparations and mass mobilization to reverse climate change.Williamson became the second candidate to drop out in the past 10 days, joining former housing secretary Julian Castro.