Marianne Williamson
Running for: US President
Williamson has been described as a self-help author, spiritual advisor, and activist. She criticizes Democratic Party leaders for policies that favor wealthy donors over working class voters – including efforts to bump New Hampshire later in the presidential primary calendar. She suspended her campaign in early February, then "un-suspended" her campaign after the Michigan primary on February 27. She acknowledged her slim chances at victory but said, "something so much more important than the horse race is at stake here. And we must respond."
Position on Issues
For| Read My Position
"The U.S. Army defines assault rifles as 'short, compact, selective-fire weapons that fire a cartridge intermediate in power between submachine gun and rifle cartridges.' I support a ban on assault weapons."
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023
Marianne Williamson supports the creation of new federal departments, such as a Department of Peace. However, she also supports abolishing some existing departments. Shortly after January 6th she wrote, "The Department of Homeland Security has been a disaster and should be abolished. We’ve seen it treat protests like threats and real threats as though they didn’t exist."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and redistributing its duties?
Against| Read My Position
"In a perfect world, term limits are elections. So what term limits would do, is it treats the symptom. But I believe first we need to treat the cause."
Other| Read My Position
Williamson supports increased government spending in many areas, from housing to the environment. However, she also supports cutting defense spending. In a 2023 interview she said, "I think what we need to have as a serious conversation about the fact that it was $858 billion, that it is today, so much more than any other nation, there are people within the military themselves. Who would say that this is more than we need for actual security."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023
Should the federal government combat inflation by capping price increases by large businesses?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support a law that would allow U.S. officials to turn away migrants seeking asylum when the number of border crossings exceeds a certain number?
Other| Read My Position
Williamson has not addressed tariffs as part of her 2024 economic agenda, but during then-president Trump's 2018 tariff hikes she said, "I am not inherently closed to the idea of tariffs, but I question the president's heavy-handed use of them in the current case."
For| Read My Position
Although she has not directly addressed an electric vehicle mandate, Williamson states on her website, "Accelerate the production of Electric Vehicles, invest in charging infrastructure, and continue efforts to maximize fuel efficiency until we can move away from internal combustion engines. All parking spaces on either private or public land would have to have access to electric charging stations by 2035."
Other| Read My Position
Williamson does not directly address transgender women and sports on her website, but she is generally supports legal protections for LGBTQ+ for individuals. For example, she writes, "Certain parts of the LGBTQIA+ population, particularly transgender women of color, are at higher risk for marginalization and even violence. This makes them a population that needs not only equal rights but the specific status of special protection. Under a Williamson administration, they would have that."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support an expanded child tax credit that sends monthly payments to middle and low income families?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support extending the Trump-backed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) past 2025?
Against| Read My Position
"Regarding abortion rights, I am one hundred percent pro-choice."
For| Read My Position
"Codify Roe v. Wade into a federal law"
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support increasing military aid to Taiwan?
Against| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2023
"Federal data shows that as of 2022 over 3,500 permits for gas and oil drilling on public lands have been issued. This is more than the previous administrations approved number of permits. A Williamson administration will sign an executive order to change the parameters for the Bureau of Land Management’s issuing of permits.
"End all new oil and gas leases in federal lands and waters. Plan the phaseout of existing oil and gas leases on federal lands."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should military aid to Israel include a requirement that Israel take certain actions to reduce civilian casualties?
For| Read My Position
Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2023
"I would de-schedule cannabis from a Schedule One drug on my first day in office.
"Release all nonviolent drug offenders.
"Expunge their records.
"End the War on Drugs.
"Happy 4/20!"
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2023
Should the federal government reform Social Security by requiring means testing?
Against| Read My Position
"I want to make Medicare available to everyone as an option, but not eliminate private insurance."
For| Read My Position
"Medicare provides good quality care at affordable rates, and should be available to those who want it. But millions of people like their private insurance and should be able to keep it. So the best is including Medicare as an option on the health exchanges, a public choice along with the private choices."
For| Read My Position
"With the Battle of Bakhmut raging, both Russia and Ukraine are intent on winning this war. Diplomatic options are severely limited until the war begins to break one way or the other. Regardless how we got here, our only choice at this point is to either support Ukraine or to not. While the United States should do everything possible to support a negotiated settlement, our goal should also be a negotiated settlement in which Ukraine still has a chance to exist."
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support increasing federal enforcement of organized retail crime?
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Do you support presidential action to bar asylum-seekers from staying in the United States before their court date?
Against| Read My Position
"I will veto any attempts to privatize Social Security. The move from guaranteed pensions to 401k plans for workers that started in the 1980’s under Ronald Reagan has been disastrous. It has left the retirement money of working people at the mercy of the fluctuations of the stock market. This makes the money people put away for their retirement security a plaything for the trading class. Consider what happened to tens of thousands of Enron workers when that company collapsed due to its own financial malfeasance. We cannot continue to allow this level of risk with essential retirement funds."
For| Read My Position
- "The cap on social security taxation is reverse means testing. The cap is currently set at $160,200. Even if the cap is raised to $250,000 (as has been proposed) that means 95% of wage earners have their entire income subject to taxation, while the richest 5% are able to avoid a huge tax liability. How is this fair?
- "Eliminating the cap will reduce the extremes of poverty and wealth that are inherently undemocratic (This isn’t about the first and second yacht, it’s about the 3rd, 4th, 5th yachts…)
- "Eliminating the cap will immediately secure the long term solvency of the Social Security program and allow the program to expand benefits without raising the retirement age."
Against| Read My Position
"Eliminating the cap will immediately secure the long term solvency of the Social Security program and allow the program to expand benefits without raising the retirement age."
For| Read My Position
Other| Read My Position
Candidate's Twitter Feed, 2017
Williamson has not made a statement on the Jones Act overall. However, she did support waiving the Jones Act in Puerto Rico following a storm in 2017.
No Response
Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2024
Should Congress revise Section 230, a federal law that shields social media companies from lawsuits over content that appears on their platforms?
Against| Read My Position
"These government supports that have proven time and again to be successful at staving off poverty for millions of Americans, are being cut – by Democrats no less – at a time when rents are spiraling out of control for the poorest families, wages are stagnant due to the assault on unions and working people; while poor people are being preyed on by rapacious financial institutions via higher interest rates and paralyzing fees, and we have a legal system that traps people into a cycle of poverty for the most minor of infractions. ... A Williamson administration will:
"Cap interest rates at 10 percent across all financial institutions."
Other| Read My Position
Candidate's Website, 2019
"Transitioning to an economy that keeps its focus squarely on reducing carbon emissions is not only one of the great moral challenges of our time, but it can also open a new era of US innovation based on sustainable infrastructure, responsible resource management and meeting human needs. We need to explore every option to get there. This includes putting a price on carbon to send a sustained market signal and pay for the external damage done by these fuels. Many progressives and environmentalists feel that carbon fees should be mandatory (not market-based) and dedicated to achieving further reductions emissions to drive them down faster AND to protect lower income and people of color who have the least protection against climate impacts. My Administration would be open to all these ideas.
"It is also critically important that our economy works to sequester excess carbon currently in the atmosphere, back down into the earth. We will employ every resource to restore our forests and oceans, and promote sustainable agricultural and ranching practices, among many other critical measures. We cannot afford to do anything less."
