Longshot 2020 Democrat candidate and new age author Marianne Williamson has laid off her entire presidential campaign staff, but will still continue her bid for the White House, sources familiar with the situation told New Hampshire-based news outlet WMUR on Thursday.
Campaign manager Patricia Ewing and former Rep. Paul Hodes (D-NY), Williamson’s New Hampshire state director, told WMUR that they are no longer working for the campaign and wished the candidate well.
Williamson’s decision to ax her entire campaign staff, which at its height reached 45 people, was prompted by ongoing financial woes. The spiritual guru, whose campaign platform included the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and billions of dollars in reparations for descendants of slaves, took in a mere $3 million in the third quarter of 2019, but burned through close to 95 percent of it, The Hill reports. In addition to financial troubles, Willamson’s campaign has failed to achieve a breakthrough in any statewide or national polls, prompting her to miss the last four Democrat presidential primary debates. She is expected to be shut out of January 14th’s debate in Des Moines, Iowa, a crucial test before the state’s first in the nation caucus.
The development comes hours after former Obama Housing and Development Secretary Julián Castro ended his flailing White House campaign. Earlier Thursday, several top-tier Democrat candidates announced their fourth-quarter fundraising hauls. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has thus far topped the field with over $34.5 million raised in the last three months, while former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg took in around $24.7 million. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign said it raised $22.7 million in the same period and technology entrepreneur Andrew Yang received over $16.5 million. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has yet to announce her fourth-quarter numbers.
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