Hollywood has always raised a lot of cash for Democratic candidates, but this year there is a special urgency with Donald Trump in the White House.
Fueled by GOP loathing, #MeToo and industry success, a new class of hyperactivated political activists like John Legend and Shonda Rhimes is shifting how Hollywood money is raised and spread out across dozens of candidates and PACs.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the media industry (which includes Hollywood) had pumped nearly $21 million into House and Senate races as of June. Another $18 million is expected to be raised for state races, according to the Campaign Finance Institute.
When the full figures are reported later in October, one source told the Hollywood Reporter they “will blow away” money raised in previous midterms.
Those figures, however, don’t tell the complete story.
Whereas in previous years the lion’s share of Hollywood money raised would go to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in this cycle the money is being spread out across dozens of individual candidates and a variety of PACs that can obfuscate where their money comes from.
Interviews with political consultants and donors suggest that a younger, more diverse class of political players from the worlds of television and film has emerged and is ready to challenge the old order.
President Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton “was like the five stages of grief — shock, tears, disbelief, anger and denial,” says Andy Spahn, a longtime political adviser to mega fundraisers including Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg. “But that grief quickly turned into resolve.”
What followed has been unprecedented political activism, much of it at the grass-roots level. Email inboxes of donors, agents and executives have been flooded with invites to support candidates whom no one had previously heard of in districts that many couldn’t find on a map. It’s not uncommon for 10 political events to be happening in a single day.
This year’s election also is set against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement. For years, Harvey Weinstein was a prolific fundraiser for Democratic Party candidates, and his exposed predations would prove to be an enormous public embarrassment for the party. Since then, the #MeToo movement has toppled other top industry leaders, like Leslie Moonves.
This, according to some experts, has set the stage for a new “look” for the face of Hollywood’s activist community
“The middle-aged white male is in retreat,” says Republican pollster Frank Luntz (who has been critical of Hollywood activism). “You are witnessing the dissolving of the old hierarchy, and the new one will be younger, hipper and more female.”
Republicans across the board have been overwhelmed by the amount of cash being donated to Democratic campaigns this cycle.
“From Democrat candidates to outside groups, we’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Brian Walsh, president of the pro-Trump America First Action super PAC. “They are dumping in cash by the truckload.”
Since the end of July, Republican candidates in the 70 most contested races have reserved $60 million in TV ads, compared to $109 million for Democratic hopefuls. The disparity is almost certain to grow, as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg makes good on plans to spend nearly $80 million to help Democrats flip the House.
Charlie Black, a longtime Republican Party fundraiser, said the problem isn’t hard to diagnose: Democrats want to send a message to the president, so they’re pumping the war chests of House candidates with online donations.
“We’re raising more money than we usually do on our side, and they’re raising more than they ever do and it’s because of Trump,” Black said. “He’s the great motivator.”