Hollywood figures made a big showing this afternoon as Vice President Kamala Harris was to make her first appearance at a Los Angeles fundraiser since becoming the Democratic nominee.
Held at the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Los Angeles, today’s gathering was a mix of big donors willing to pay almost $1 million to be there and those shelling out just $500, with price levels sold out as of this morning.
About 1,500 people were packed into a hotel ballroom for the event, with more expected, and seated around a simple stage with the Harris-Walz logo and a large blue curtain as the backdrop. As Deadline exclusively reported on September 28, Alanis Morissette and Halle Bailey were booked to perform at the event. Morissette took the stage earlier in the afternoon and Bailey was to appear later.
Among the speakers was Keegan-Michael Key.
“This is the most important election of our lifetime, for real,” Key said.
Among the attendees were campaign co-chair Jeffery Katzenberg, Lily Tomlin, Watchmen boss and longtime Democratic donor Damon Lindelof and spouse Heidi. In a guest column for Deadline on July 3, Emmy winner Lindelof was the first major Hollywood donor to publicly call for President Joe Biden to step aside after his debate debacle with Donald Trump on June 27 on CNN. The ex-Lost showrunner was soon followed by the likes of Rob Reiner and George Clooney as donations dried up for the campaign.
Sterling K. Brown also was attending, according to a source. Harris was scheduled to speak later in the afternoon, after mingling with high-dollar donors at a reception and photo line at the hotel.
Also spotted were a smattering of agents and industry publicists, including Kristina Schake, Jeff Tobler, Alison Rou, Scott Rowe, Rita Cooper Lee and Kelly Bush. On the political side, figures such as former California Governor Gray Davis, Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) were there. Padilla also spoke, as did House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA), and Butler was to address the crowd during the afternoon.
There also was heavy security, with attendees greeted by armed Secret Service agents.
Starting just after 2 p.m. PT, today’s fundraiser was expected to be a big draw, as Harris has yet to headline an event in her adopted hometown since launching her presidential run on July 21. In fact, the event venue was just around the corner from where a clearly exhausted POTUS appeared with ex-president Barack Obama and Jimmy Kimmel on June 15 at the Peacock Theatre. That was the 81-year-old Biden’s last L.A. visit before the viability of his candidacy before a crisis for the Dems.
That’s a far cry from the enthusiastic campaign Harris and running mate Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota are now conducting in what remains a tight race.
Jetting in on Air Force Two last night from San Francisco, where Harris was district attorney for six years, the VP decamped at her and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff’s Brentwood home before whipping downtown for the fundraiser. With just over 30 days left before Election Day, the Vice President is leaving Sunday’s LA fundraiser to head directly to LAX and fly to Las Vegas for a rally there this evening.
Though most of the attention for the election is on battleground states like Michigan and Pennsylvania, this weekend’s double dipping in the Golden State is both an opportunity to put in a big haul financially and give some deep pocket donors some facetime.
There also has been increasing focus among donors on down ballot races. With Democrats just a handful of seats of reclaiming the House majority, races in California and New York could determine if Hakeem Jeffries becomes the next Speaker. Congressional candidates likely will be seeking a photo or two with Harris, as she is expected to carry California by a wide margin.
Harris’ campaign events come as Walz prepares to debate Trump’s running mate Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) on Tuesday in their first and only match up. Coming off a very successful debate performance against Trump on Sept. 10, Harris has been challenging the ex-president to meet her for a second round on CNN Oct. 23. Trump has so far refused.
The event raised money for the Harris Victory Fund, a joint committee of her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state parties.
More to come.
