Bestselling author, spiritual guru, and Oprah pal Marianne Williamson has laid off her entire 2020 campaign staff, two former staffers said Thursday.
It seems as though the relatively unknown candidate’s campaign is on life support.
Williamson once upon a time earned some strange highlight reel, made-for-TV moments, but failed to capture any real support.
Paul Hodes, a former congressman who had served as Williamson’s New Hampshire state director and senior campaign adviser, confirmed that he had been laid off and “that the others in the national campaign have been laid off.”
“My understanding is she’s continuing her campaign,” Hodes said.
For how long remains the question.
A former campaign aide told The Associated Press that Williamson laid off her entire campaign staff on Dec. 31 because of financial concerns. The aide also confirmed that Williamson was still in the 2020 race. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because staff were told not to speak publicly about the layoffs.
She has accepted that winning Iowa is no longer even an option for her at this point. Williamson is giving up the state entirely.
Williamson wrote on Instagram later Thursday that there is “no way” her campaign can compete in Iowa, which hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses Feb. 3. “We’re on our way to New Hampshire for the month,” she wrote. New Hampshire’s primary is Feb. 11.
Williamson still has events scheduled in Iowa in the coming weeks, including a “yoga fundraiser” and a forum on faith and politics. The spiritual guru has barely registered in the polls since launching her odd bid for president last January. She raised $3 million in the third quarter of last year, but her fourth-quarter haul has not yet been reported.
New Hampshire news outlet WMUR first reported that Williamson had laid off her entire staff.
The Associated Press contributed to this article