America Could Have Its First Single President in More than a Century
Marianne Williamson is one of 20 Democratic candidates appearing in the second presidential debates this week. She will appear tonight as part of the first group.
The best-selling author, 67, is an outsider candidate who has not previously held elective office.
During the first round of Democratic debates earlier this summer, self-help author and spiritual advisor Marianne Williamson introduced herself to the public, and clearly made an impression, so much so that she was the number one searched for candidate on Google the night she took the stage.
She came on strong, outlining her strategy to beat Donald Trump in the 2020 election by "harnessing love," and noted that her first act as president would be to call the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern.
And in recent weeks, her previous statements regarding vaccines and anti-depressants have proved controversial. But in general, she's still a relative unknown compared with some of the other lifelong politicians in the race.
If she does earn her party's nomination and goes on to win the general election, her presidency would be noteworthy for a number of reasons. Not only would she be the first woman president in United States history, but she would also be one of only a few single people to hold the position.
In fact, the United States has only ever had two unmarried men serve as Commander in Chief: the first was James Buchanan, who served as president from 1857 to 1861, and the second was Grover Cleveland, who actually wed his wife Frances while in office.
At one point Williamson was married, but only "for a minute and a half" (her words), and she has made a point of keeping her former husband's name out of the press. Following that somewhat mysterious relationship, she has not remarried, but she does have one child, a daughter named India Emma, who was born in 1990.
Williamson has yet to comment on how she would handle the traditional role filled by a first spouse should she win, but she could take a cue from Buchanan. He had a younger family member, his niece Harriet Land, fulfill the role.
Interestingly, Williamson isn't the only potential single Commander in Chief in the democratic field. Cory Booker is also unmarried, though he has publicly hinted at a future with his current girlfriend Rosario Dawson.
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