Los Angeles – Republican Rudy Giuliani once derided Hollywood in his U.S. Senate bid against Hillary Rodham Clinton. Today, as he pursues the presidency, he’s collecting checks from actors Adam Sandler and Kelsey Grammer and Paramount studio chief Brad Grey.
The entertainment industry has always been a wealth of cash for political candidates – a whopping $27.5 million in the 2004 election cycle – and Democrats traditionally have been the top draw.
But the latest campaign-finance reports show Republicans making some inroads, not only with the handful of more conservative stars but also the generous Hollywood players hedging their bets.
Of the GOP candidates, Giuli ani, the former New York City mayor, counted several big- and small-screen donors as well as producers and studio executives.
Sandler, who shares a love of the New York Yankees with Giuliani and tapped him for a cameo in his 2003 movie “Anger Management,” contributed $2,100. “Frasier” star Grammer and his wife donated $6,900.
Grey, who helped the mayor negotiate a book deal, kicked in $4,200 to Giuliani’s campaign. Grey, the former executive producer of a Giuliani favorite, the acclaimed HBO mob drama, “The Sopranos,” also contributed to Clinton and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn.
In his short-lived Senate bid eight years ago, the then-mayor scoffed at celebrity culture, saying of Clinton: “She can have the Hollywood crowd.”
Throughout his two terms, Giuliani was no Hollywood favorite even though he sought to bring film dollars to the city.
He traded jabs with Rosie O’Donnell, criticized violence in movies and scuttled plans for the launch party for Talk Magazine, partly owned by Miramax Films, at the city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yards. Clinton appeared on the cover of the magazine’s first issue.
Asked whether Giuliani was looking at Hollywood differently, his campaign didn’t respond directly.
“We are grateful for the support for Mayor Giuliani’s leadership from across the country,” spokesman Jarrod Agen said.
