Hillary Clinton is “the strongest candidate” in the field of Democrat presidential contenders — that’s why superstar director J.J. Abrams and his wife donated $1 million to the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA last year.
In an interview with the Daily Beast, the Star Wars: The Force Awakens director explained why he’s throwing his support behind Clinton in the 2016 election.
“We believe in her as the strongest candidate,” Abrams told the outlet. “She does have the experience and the politics. She is compassionate, and right. When I look at the people who need the support that aren’t necessarily getting it, I believe that she would provide that.”
“That is really the way that we have to approach how to vote: look around and ask yourself, who needs to be brought up?” the director added. “Who needs to be emphasized? Who needs compassion? And I find that that’s something that she’s got.”
Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath each reportedly donated $500,000 to the pro-Clinton super PAC Priorities USA in June, making the couple one of the highest-profile celebrity supporters of the former Secretary of State’s presidential campaign.
The power couple have contributed to Democrats in the past; in October, they hosted President Obama at their Pacific Palisades home for a $33,400-per-ticket fundraiser for the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee. The event was reported to have raised an estimated $750,000.
Abrams’ support for Clinton’s campaign comes as many of his peers in the entertainment industry flock to support the insurgent campaign of her chief rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In September, more than 120 “artists and cultural leaders” penned an open letter expressing their support for Sanders’ campaign, including actors Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, Susan Sarandon and Danny DeVito and musicians David Crosby, Bonnie Raitt, Hans Zimmer and members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Last week, Sarandon appeared at a rally for Sanders in Iowa, where the Vermont senator is running neck-and-neck with Clinton ahead of Monday’s crucial first-in-the-nation caucuses.
“[Clinton has] had a job, but what has she done that we’re bragging about?” the actress and longtime political activist said. “How has she led?”
While Clinton has collected support from Hollywood royalty including Tom Hanks and Barbra Streisand, the candidate has had trouble fundraising among some of Hollywood’s top female power players; last week, the Hollywood Reporter reported that of the top 100 women in its annual “Power 100” list, just one in four had donated to Clinton’s campaign.