Ryan Reynolds, Jane Lynch, Rupert Murdoch’s son donate to Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign
Buttigieg pulled in more than $1 million in donations in the hours after his campaign announcement
Two days into Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s official presidential campaign, and it seems a number of celebrities are throwing their support behind him.
Buttigieg kicked off his historic campaign in his home city of South Bend, Indiana, on Sunday, alongside his husband Chasten.
And the quickly rising Democrat, who has polled behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in recent surveys, has drawn some big name donors according to his financial reports.
Variety combed through Buttigieg’s donors and noted a number of prolific contributions, particularly from LGBTQ members of the entertainment industry, including Glee star Jane Lynch, The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken, Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss, and How to Get Away with Murder creator Peter Nowalk.
Buttigieg also drew donations from Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, This Is Us‘ Mandy Moore, West Wing‘s Bradley Whitford (Buttigieg-Bartlet, anyone?), and Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, A Star Is Born).
Other notable names include Susan Rice, former National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama, and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy.
One curiosity comes in the form of a donation from James Murdoch, former chairman of Twenty-First Century Fox and son of noted conservative media tycoon Rupert Murdoch — who created Fox News and is reportedly in frequent contact with Donald Trump.
The younger Murdoch reportedly describes himself as politically centrist, and donated $2,800 to Buttigieg’s campaign.
Buttigieg’s campaign reportedly pulled in $7 million in donations in the first quarter of this year, and the millenial mayor gained $1 million in donations in the four hours following his announcement speech.
That speech came weeks of speculation and shadow campaigning, Buttigieg officially launched his bid for the presidency in front of a home crowd on Sunday.
Presenting himself as an antidote to President Trump and his “scorched earth” brand of politics, Buttigieg branded himself as a youthful, once-in-a-generation leader who is uniquely poised to lead the country in a progressive direction.
“More people are moving into South Bend than we’ve seen in a generation,” Buttigieg said. “Thousands of new jobs have been added in our area, billions in investment. Now, there’s a long way for us to go.But we’ve changed our trajectory and shown a path forward for communities like ours.
“That’s why I’m here today. To tell a different story than ‘Make America Great Again,’” he continued. “Because there’s a myth being sold to industrial and rural communities: the myth that we can stop the clock and turn it back. It comes from people who think the only way to speak to communities like ours are through resentment and nostalgia. They’re selling an impossible promise of returning to a bygone era that was never as great as advertised to begin with.”
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