California’s U.S. Senate race is heating up, and as usual, the leading candidates are courting money from Hollywood. But since the top three Democrats all have longtime connections to the entertainment industry, big donors are divided about who to support.
KNX News Chief Correspondent Charles Feldman spoke to Ted Johnson, political editor for Deadline, about how the race is shaping up.
“So far Adam Schiff, who has been leading in some of the recent polls, he has collected most of the money,” Johnson said. “I’m talking about the $350,000 range. That is followed by Katie Porter, she has, I think, just over $100,000.”
Rep. Barbara Lee, who’s polling third among Democratic candidates, hasn’t gathered as much money from Hollywood donors, but several big names have thrown their support behind her, including Latanya Jackson and playwright and author Eve Ensler.
Johnson said Schiff has an advantage because his congressional district covers Burbank and Hollywood, where many studios and executives are located. His donor list includes the likes of Barbara Streisand, Judd Apatow, and Mark Hamill, who sent out fundraising emails for Schiff last summer.
Former Dodgers star Steve Garvey, the lone Republican to participate in the race’s first debate Monday night, is also likely to court celebrity donors, Johnson said.
“There's a number of Republicans in Hollywood who are still Republican, but they're very anti-Trump, and I would expect that he will be trying to reach out to those types of donors,” he said.
The top two candidates in the March 5 primary will advance to the November ballot.
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