Self-help author Marianne Williamson is either leading or tied with two United States congressmen, the mayor of New York City, and a Democratic power-playing billionaire in the polling average for the Democratic primary. She’s a stone’s throw away from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and her unique donor count has surpassed another senator and a governor.

She’s running a long-shot bid, one widely mocked as dead-on-arrival at the outset and a pie-in-the-sky vanity project. Yet, her persistent grassroots support tells a different story: Williamson has tapped into a void of representation in the Democratic Party.