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Fairfield: Marianne Williamson's spiritual home in Iowa

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Lauren Pelayo and Marcelo Lopez... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Lauren Pelayo and Marcelo Lopez meditate as Pelayo nurses her daughter Paloma Lopez during a ten-minute meditative session initiated by 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson after giving a stump speech in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Many Fairfield residents, including Pelayo and Lopez, attend the nearby Maharishi University of Management and are practitioners of transcendental meditation. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

For Politico: The Iowa Town Where Marianne Williamson Is Already President

When author and spiritual influencer Marianne Williamson entered the 2020 race for the Democratic presidential nomination, she didn't make waves in most of Iowa's small towns. That is, with one exception: Fairfield.

Fairfield is not an ordinary small town. It's the home of the Maharishi University of Management, a training center in the practice of transcendental meditation that was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the spiritual guru to The Beatles. The school attracts people from around the country who are interested in transcendental meditation, and many stay to become long-term Fairfield residents. The result is an eclectic community that is as knowledgeable about spiritual energy as it is about the price of corn. At one campaign event, Williamson led a packed crowd in a 10-minute silent meditation before delivering a message that was as much a prayer as it was a stump speech.

I pitched this story after learning that Fairfield is one of the only towns where Williamson led all other presidential candidates in campaign donations (with the exception of Bernie Sanders, whose established campaign had long led in donations in most counties). Even though Williamson's candidacy was always a long shot, towns like Fairfield can help explain how an unorthodox candidate with self-help appeal can gain popularity even outside of major metro areas.

A mural welcomes visitors to Fa... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

A mural welcomes visitors to Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

2020 presidential candidate Mar... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson takes a picture with students from the Maharishi University of Management after giving a stump speech in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Many Fairfield residents attend the nearby Maharishi University of Management and are practitioners of transcendental meditation. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The town square of Fairfield, I... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The town square of Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Ken Chawkin poses for a portrai... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Ken Chawkin poses for a portrait on the Maharishi University of Management campus in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Students walk past one of two g... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Students walk past one of two golden meditation domes on the campus of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Revelations Cafe & Book... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Revelations Cafe & Bookstore owner Betsy Howland poses for a portrait at Revelations in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, October 12, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

A Mazda Miata modified with gol... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

A Mazda Miata modified with gold paint and flair sits parked near the golden meditation domes on the campus of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The interior of the men&#39... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The interior of the men's meditation dome on the campus of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Audience members listen as Mari... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Audience members listen as Marianne Williamson speaks to voters in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Williamson has found some of her strongest supporters in Fairfield, home to the Maharishi University of Management, an institution that promotes and trains practitioners of transcendental meditation. Williamson led a meditative call-and-response session and initiated ten minutes of meditation after her speech. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Dr. Frederick Travis, Director ... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Dr. Frederick Travis, Director of the Center for Brain, Consciousness, and Cognition at Maharishi University of Management, poses for a portrait in his office on the MUM campus in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. "I haven't measured their brain waves, but it would be a valuable prerequisite for running for office," he said of presidential candidates visiting in Iowa. "It would be fun to have everyone's brain waves up there." KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The sun sets on homes outside t... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The sun sets on homes outside the Maharishi Vedic Observatory in Maharishi Vedic City outside of Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, October 12, 2019. Established in 2001, Maharishi Vedic City was planned according to Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, a set of architectural and planning principles that practitioners of Transcendental Meditation say is ideal to fostering personal and societal enlightenment. Badgett is a personal friend of 2020 presidential candidate and spiritual author Marianne Williamson, who often stays on the resort when visiting the area. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson leads a meditative call and response session with voters in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Williamson asked audience members to close their eyes and offer thoughts that began with the phrase, "I see a world where..." Williamson has found some of her strongest supporters in Fairfield, home to the Maharishi University of Management, an institution that promotes and trains practitioners of transcendental meditation. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Mitchy Shimazaki, a first-year ... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Mitchy Shimazaki, a first-year media and communications student at Maharishi University of Management, poses for a portrait on the MUM campus in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. "We do need to reinvent our politics, but we need to do it with the right energy," he said. "It needs to be about love and compassion." "When we have better people, we'll have better leaders," he added. "[Marianne Williamson] represents consciousness and listening. She's the kind of person I want to be more like." KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Cheekys, a chihuahua owned by F... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Cheekys, a chihuahua owned by Fairfield resident Gabriel Storm Bishop, waits on a table at a restaurant in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Fairfield is home to a much wider diversity of restaurants — especially vegetarian restaurants — than most similarly-sized Iowa towns, thanks in large part to the nearby Maharishi University of Management. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson speaks with a grateful supporter after giving a stump speech in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Many Fairfield residents attend the nearby Maharishi University of Management and are practitioners of transcendental meditation. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Sam Delisi meditates during a t... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Sam Delisi meditates during a ten-minute meditative session initiated by 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson after giving a stump speech in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Many Fairfield residents, including Delisi's wife, attend the nearby Maharishi University of Management and are practitioners of transcendental meditation. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Fairfield mayor Ed Malloy poses... McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Fairfield mayor Ed Malloy poses for a portrait in his office at City Hall in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. Malloy has previously moderated discussions with 2020 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson, and like many Fairfield residents is a practitioner of transcendental meditation, but has yet to give a public endorsement leading up to the Iowa caucus. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

The town square of Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine

Students walk past one of two golden meditation domes on the campus of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa on Saturday, September 21, 2019. KC McGinnis for Politico Magazine