Former Democratic presidential candidate and author Marianne Williamson launched a bid to become chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday, joining a crowded field of candidates attempting to “make things right” for the party after its election losses last month.

Before entering politics, Williamson was largely known as a self-help guru who wrote on matters of spiritualism; her work was supported by talk-show magnate Oprah Winfrey, to whom she became an informal adviser.