Marianne Williamson is an author and political activist who has run for political positions on 3 occasions. In 2014, she ran for Congress, and in 2020, she took on her first presidential campaign; both ended in defeat. Then, in March 2023 before incumbent President Biden even started his re-election campaign, Williamson announced that she would be running for President as a Democratic candidate. As of November 2023, Williamson and Republican candidate Nikki Haley had similar polling percentages, yet Haley was being praised and Williamson was being swept under the rug. Despite not being taken seriously by mainstream media, Williamson found much of her success through social media.
Though Williamson has only 65 videos posted on TikTok, she has garnered over 11 million views. (Grim, 2023) She used the media's dismissal of her to her advantage by speaking out against elites and being this kind of role model for the people. She is seen as an outsider to the political scene, but due to social media, she's found some success in her campaign. "According to Marianne Williamson, it is time for changes as 'politics as usual has failed us' and 'the best man for a job is a woman'". (Pham, 2024)
Most other political candidates' campaign trails are backed by corporate donors, while Williamson's relies primarily on the support of the public. Her serious utilization of platforms like TikTok has allowed her to create a communication system like no other candidate.
Sources:
Pham, T. (2024). How Marianne Williamson rises without mass media attention. diggit magazine. https://www.diggitmagazine.com/articles/how-marianne-williamson-rises-without-mass-media-attention
Grim, R. (2023). Marianne Williamson, fusing Bernie Sanders and (early) Jordan Peterson, is taking over TikTok. The Intercept_ https://theintercept.com/2023/04/14/marianne-williamson-tiktok/
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