Hollywood donors drop 'Dembargo' as celebrities back Harris

[July 23, 2024]  By Lisa Richwine, Dawn Chmielewski and Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -A Hollywood "Dembargo" on political donations has ended, as key fundraisers and celebrities from rapper Cardi B to Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis and TV producer Shonda Rhimes endorsed Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee for U.S. president.

Relief and excitement spread across Los Angeles, the world's film and television capital and an important source of Democrats' campaign funds, following President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection campaign on Sunday.

"Lost" producer Damon Lindelof said he had halted what he called a "Dembargo," a call for Hollywood backers to stop donating money to Democrats after Biden's disastrous debate performance in June.

Lindelof, writing on Instagram, said he felt "profound relief, gratitude ... and then, for the first time, genuine EXCITEMENT for the election ahead" after Biden's withdrawal.

"Suffice to say, the DEMBARGO is lifted. And here. We. GOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lindelof added.

Hollywood often is described as an "ATM for Democrats." A June fundraiser hosted by actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts raised more than $30 million in what the Biden campaign said was the largest Democratic fundraiser in history.

But after Biden's halting performance at the June 27 presidential debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, Clooney and others publicly called for the president to end his campaign. A representative for Clooney did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Lindelof did not back a particular Democratic candidate, but others in Hollywood threw their support behind Harris.

"We are all in for Kamala Harris! Started to work on her behalf the moment she announced," Andy Spahn, a Democratic fundraiser in Hollywood and president of consulting firm Gonring, Lin, Spahn, said via email.

'I'M WITH HER'

Disney heiress Abigail Disney, who had called on Biden to drop out, told CNBC she was resuming her donations to Democrats and that she thought Harris would be an excellent candidate.

"I'm with her," actor Bradley Whitford, who played a fictional White House staffer on "The West Wing" TV show, wrote on X, next to a picture of himself with his arm around Harris.

Curtis, recent Oscar winner for "Everything Everywhere All At Once," said she supported Biden's decision to endorse Harris. Singer Barbra Streisand said Harris "will continue Joe Biden’s work and will be a great president."

Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst and co-host of the podcast "Inside Golden State Politics," said she expected Harris to receive strong financial support from Hollywood. One reason is that her husband, former entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff, "is very well-liked and respected" in the industry.

Shonda Rhimes poses in the press room with the Founders Award International Emmy in Manhattan, New York, U.S. November 21, 2016. REUTERS/Mark Kauzlarich/File Photo

"The floodgates will open," she said.

Several Black women in Hollywood backed Harris, who would be the first Black woman to serve as U.S. president if she wins the November presidential election.

"Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal" creator Rhimes posted a photo of her standing next to Harris and offered her endorsement.

"I stood behind her in 2016 when she ran for Senate, I was behind her when she ran as @vp and I continue to stand behind her today," Rhimes wrote on Instagram.

"The Woman King" actor Viola Davis quoted Black civil rights leader and Democratic politician Barbara Jordan's 1977 Harvard commencement speech on Instagram.

"'What people want is simple. They want an America as good as its promise,'" Davis wrote beside a picture of Biden and Harris walking together and laughing.

"I’m with her!" Davis added with a Black fist emoji and blue hearts.

"Abbott Elementary" actor Sheryl Lee Ralph posted a photo of herself beside Harris. "When she wins, we win!" Ralph wrote.

Black women are a key part of Harris's most devoted boosters, known collectively as the KHive, Bebitch Jeffe said.

"Black women are the most loyal Democratic constituency right now," she said. "And women are just revved up as hell."

Tina Knowles, the mother of superstar singer Beyonce, voiced excitement for a Harris run, calling her "new, youthful, sharp."

"You asked for it and our President Biden did what was best for the country! Putting personal Ego, power and fame aside,” Knowles wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of her with Harris.

Rapper Cardi B noted that she had called for a Harris candidacy in June after Biden's debate debacle.

"AHAHAHAHA LETS GOOOOO I TOLD YALLL KAMALA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE 2024 candidate," the musician wrote on X.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine, Dawn Chmielewski and Danielle Broadway in Los Angeles; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Rod Nickel)

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