US election 2024: Marianne Williamson suspends bid for US Democratic ticket

Self-help writer Marianne Williamson has suspended her bid to stand as the US Democrats’ candidate in this year’s presidential election.

Her chances of winning the ticket from Joe Biden had always looked slim and she took just 4% of the vote in the party’s New Hampshire primary.

Dean Phillips, who won nearly 20%, remains in the race against Mr Biden, who polled nearly 64% in the state.

Ms Williamson told supporters her campaign had not “been in vain”.

“I appreciate greatly all the incredible people who accompanied me on our political journey over the last 10 months,” she said in her Substack.

“While the level of our failure is obvious to all, a level of success is real nonetheless. Processing this experience will itself be an ongoing journey, and forgiveness will guide me as I move through it.

“I will not allow the mental torment of all the woulda shoulda couldas to tie me to the past, but rather I will keep my eye on the larger story… There are hidden gifts that have only just begun to reveal themselves.”

Oprah Winfrey’s former spiritual adviser had also stood in the 2020 presidential election, focusing on what she saw as the need for spiritual healing in the US after Donald Trump’s presidency.