Marianne Williamson backs former rival Ted Lieu to succeed Rep. Waxman

Spiritual teacher and bestselling author Marianne Williamson has endorsed state Sen. Ted Lieu, a former rival in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Henry Waxman.

Williamson was one of 18 candidates on the June primary ballot vying for the Westside-South Bay seat that Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) is giving up after four decades in Congress. She finished fourth so did not advance to the Nov. 4 general election ballot. Only the top two vote-getters, regardless of any party affiliation, can advance to the fall election.

Lieu, a Torrance Democrat whose state Senate seat overlaps much of the congressional district, placed second in the primary. He is squaring off against gang prosecutor Elan S. Carr, a Republican, who finished first.

Williamson, who dropped her longtime Democratic Party affiliation and ran as an independent, called for ways to break the partisan gridlock in Congress and reduce the influence of special-interest money in government.

She accepted no contributions from political action committees or other interest groups, collecting about $1.3 million from individual donors across the country.

“I hope those who believe as I do that Ted Lieu represents a vision of America in keeping with our highest yearnings for our nation’s future will enthusiastically support his candidacy,” Williamson said in a statement released Tuesday by the Lieu campaign.

“He has earned our trust and now he needs our support,” Williamson said, “Let’s give him both.”

Her endorsement of Lieu was first reported on the Down With Tyranny blog.

Lieu praised Williamson for running “a positive and clean campaign,” adding that she “inspired many with her urgent call for campaign finance reform.”

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