Some of Hollywood’s most iconic figures and influential filmmakers are throwing their star power and support behind the campaign of scandal-ridden Florida gubernatorial Democrat candidate Andrew Gillum.
Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee, FL, has received support from producers Judd Apatow, Norman Lear, Will Packer, Shonda Rhimes, as well as actresses Regina Hall, Debra Messing, and Issa Rae.
In May, Norman Lear shared his support for Gillum’s gubernatorial run in a video posted to Twitter.
“[Andrew Gillum] is dude I know that I’m crazy about. I’ve worked with him for years and years in People for the American Way. He’s about 35, now, and he’s the mayor of Tallahassee. He’s a tall, great-looking black guy, and a great friend. I couldn’t admire him more. … Governorship of Florida is his goal, and I think he can go further than that,” said the iconic TV writer and creator behind television classics like All in the Family and The Jeffersons.
Lear also described Gillum as a “f*****g rockstar” in 2015.
Debra Messing, co-star of Will & Grace, directed her Twitter followers toward get-out-the-vote videos produced for Gillum:
Via Facebook video, Hollywood super-producer Will Packer described Gillum as “the most progressive and forward-thinking candidate, by far.” HBO’s Insecure star Issa Rae concurred, saying, “You know I’m rooting for everybody black.”
Queer Eye host Karamo Brown expressed support for Gillum on Twitter:
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a self-described “democratic socialist,” also endorsed Gillum.
George Soros and Tom Steyer are funding Gillum’s campaign with $650,000, according to two Florida-based reporters:
An FBI corruption investigation of two Floridian lobbyists — Adam Corey and Sean Pittman — involved undercover agents vacationing with the lobbyist duo at a luxury resort in Costa Rica with Gillum in 2016. The Tallahassee Democrat wrote: “Ethics watchdogs said the trip smacks of the appearance of impropriety, and that the public will never know whether city business was discussed. Gillum’s friends and staff said the trip was personal in nature.”
The Tallahassee Democrat produced an interactive tool entitled “A Tangled Web” with more information on the FBI’s corruption investigation in Florida’s capital city.
Nevertheless, despite the throng of celebrity support and his left-wing billionaire backers, an August-published poll of registered likely voters in Florida by Gravis Marketing had Gillum in fourth place among Democrat candidates vying for the Sunshine State’s governorship.
Follow Robert Kraychik on Twitter.
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