Marianne Williamson suspends her presidential campaign as Trump wins Virgin Islands

WASHINGTON —The Nevada Republican caucus is underway and Donald Trump has already cinched victory in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, self-help author Marianne Williamson suspended her long-shot presidential campaign Wednesday after failing to garner support among voters in the New Hampshire and South Carolina Democratic primaries to beat President Joe Biden.

“While the level of our failure is obvious to all, a level of success is real nonetheless,” Williamson said in a message to her supporters. “We articulated deeper, more authentic truths than those regularly acknowledged by the political establishment. And I’m not only glad we did that; I’m proud of it.”

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Williamson formally kicked off her presidential campaign against Biden in March 2023. It was her second time running after she sought the White House in 2020.

“We are upset about this country, we’re worried about this country,” Williamson told voters at a kickoff event in Washington's Union Station last year. “It is our job to create a vision of justice and love that is so powerful that it will override the forces of hatred and injustice and fear.”

But her campaign didn’t gain enough traction. She only won roughly 4% of the vote in the New Hampshire primary compared to Biden’s 63.9%, and won 2.1% of the vote in the South Carolina primary compared to Biden’s 96.2%.

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Williamson told USA TODAY in a May interview last year that her presidency would signify a “political awakening" in the country. She campaigned on a universal healthcare system, forgiving student debt, addressing the environmental crisis and protecting abortion rights, among other things.

Her campaign was also focused on appealing to young voters. Williamson also built a strong TikTok following with over half a million followers − the most of any presidential candidate who has an official account on the platform.

With Williamson out of the race, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., stands as the lone challenger to Biden. Though Phillips placed third in the South Carolina primary after garnering only 1.7% of votes, he defended his campaign on MSNBC’s “The Weekend” and said challenging Biden was a “mission of principle.”

Contributing: Rachel Looker, Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marianne Williamson suspends long-shot presidential campaign