In his upstart quest to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross (D., N.J.) in the 2016 primary, political newcomer Alex Law may not have a prayer.
But he does have Marianne Williamson, the spiritual guru, social activist, and bestselling author, who is scheduled to make two appearances on Law's behalf Thursday in Moorestown. And she's been talking up the event on Twitter and Facebook.
"I met Marianne at a dinner in Los Angeles last summer," says Law, 24 (read my column about him here). "I didn't know who she was, but we ended up talking for over an hour. And at the end of our very lively conversation, she said she'd be happy to do an event for me the next time she's on the East Coast."
Law, who turns 25 (the age required for service in Congress) next March, says the Williamson events are less about fundraising and more about meeting prospective voters and potential volunteers. "It's another opportunity to talk to a roomful of 100 new people and convince them why what I'm doing is important," he says. "We're all in this together."
Like Law, Williamson champions the Presidential candidacy of Bernie Sanders. Also like Law, she has not allowed a lack of experience in elective office diminish her ambitions.
In 2014 she placed fourth out of 16 candidates in a Democratic primary race to succeed California's retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman. "New Ager Marianne Williamson was a $2 million Congressional Flop," The Daily Beast gleefully proclaimed.
But Williamson, whose most recent book is A Year of Miracles, took it all in stride. "My losing the Congressional seat is small," she told (who else but?) Oprah Winfrey. "What's big is the larger conversation."
As he attempts to unseat an incumbent whose brother, George Norcross, is one of the most powerful Democrats in New Jersey, or perhaps the cosmos, Law -- like Williamson -- seems undaunted.
"I'm a big believer in grassroots politics," he says. "We've raised a nice chunk of money. And in January, we'll hit the ground running."