The first quarter of the 2020’s presidential candidates’ campaign finance reports were submitted to the FEC this week, revealing that Bernie Sanders is leading the Democrats in fundraising efforts with $18m, a small amount of which came from celebrities.
Sanders’s donors include actors Danny Devito, who gave the Vermont senator $2,700, Susan Sarandon, who gave $2,800, and Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch, who gave $500. From the music world, Norah Jones gave $2,500.
Senator Kamala Harris totalled $12m, receiving several donations from constituents in California, including Ben Affleck and Quincy Jones, both of whom gave $2,800, and Eva Longoria, who gave $5,400, with funds divided between primary and general election. Last month, the director JJ Abrams hosted a fundraiser for the candidate; Shonda Rhimes was reportedly in attendance. Her other celebrity contributors include Lily Tomlin, William H Macy, and Felicity Huffman. Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame also gave Harris $1,000, while his former co-star John Slattery donated to Beto O’Rourke instead.
With a total of $9.4m, O’Rourke received contributions from an electric mix of donors, including Texan natives like Willie Nelson, who gave the former congressman $2,800, and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, who donated $560, as well as actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk, the director Richard Linklater, and Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong. O’Rourke also received $1,850 from Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and $2,800 from Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley, suggesting a divide in the coveted jam band vote between Sanders, who received $1,000 from Phish’s Jonathan Fishman, and O’Rourke.
Pete Buttigieg, who currently serves as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, brought in $7 million, with $2000 from West Wing star Bradley Whitford, and $2,800 from James Murdoch, the son of Rupert Murdoch.
Other celebrity donors include Rosario Dawson, who gave to her recently-announced partner Cory Booker, Reese Witherspoon, who gave to Kirsten Gillibrand, and Nicolas Cage, who gave to Andrew Yang.
