Hollywood stars back candidates in NYC mayor’s race

Several Hollywood stars are making financial contributions in the New York City mayoral race, which has  drawn large sums from contributors outside the city.

A-listers including actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Steven Spielberg have raised the stakes with their backing of candidates. Spielberg and his wife have finally supported activist Maya Wiley, while Paltrow has supported Ray McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, Bloomberg reports.

The majority of those identified as actors or part of the entertainment industry have opted to join Paltrow in backing McGuire, who has vowed to boost film tax credits, Bloomberg reports. Figures who have donated to McGuire include “Despicable Me” producer Chris Meledandri, filmmaker Spike Lee and comedic actor Steve Martin. McGuire is also the only candidate not accepting public matching funds, Bloomberg notes.

Other candidates getting attention from Tinseltown include Scott Stringer and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. Actress Scarlett Johansson has donated to Stringer, while Yang has reportedly received financial backing from actor Michael Douglas.

Bloomberg reports that roughly a third of the $28 million in individual campaign donations received in the race have come from people who live outside of New York City, down slightly from previous races. California was the top out-of-state source of funds, with approximately $1 million coming from residents there, including $250,000 from individuals in the film and TV industry.

“A lot of entertainment work does get done there,” Hannah Linkenhoker, senior political strategists at Los Angeles-based talent agency ICM Partners, told Bloomberg of the Hollywood interest in the New York City race.

She added, “A lot of people have personal ties, there are a lot of New Yorkers working in Hollywood and there’s a lot of prestige to the city.”

Previous polls found Yang to be favored to win the mayoral race before he even announced his candidacy. Recent polls, however, show Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in the lead, FiveThirtyEight notes.