PRESIDENT OF THE MOON & MARS

Republicans Urge Donations to Marianne Williamson to Keep Her in Future Debates

Former Ted Cruz strategist called for money to “keep this vibrant democrat on the debate state.”

Spiritual guru, author, and Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson turned in a memorable, if outré, performance in Miami on Thursday night—telling fellow Dems they needed a slogan like MAGA, calling the prime minister of New Zealand “girlfriend,” and abandoning concrete “plans” for the economy and immigration in favor of “harness[ing] love” to defeat Donald Trump. Rightwing trolls responded enthusiastically, swamping a Drudge poll to proclaim Williamson, along with tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the top two candidates in the Thursday debate—and now GOP strategists are also hopping aboard Williamson’s magical mystery tour. Jeff Roe, who worked with Ted Cruz on the Texas Senator's 2016 presidential run, called on fellow Republicans to donate $1 to Williamson—who is now polling at around 1 percent—to ensure her repeat performance in future Dem debates: “Keep this vibrant democrat on the debate stage. One debate performance is not enough.” Roe later screenshotted what appeared to be his own donation to Williamson, and retweeted followers who followed suit.

In the past, Williamson has peddled anti-science New Age beliefs, such as the ability to cure disease through positive thinking, and has recently come under fire for her disparaging comments about vaccines—a potential throughline for anti-vaxxers and others on the political fringe.