Spurred on by film production’s growing ties to the state, the entertainment crowd has come out to support Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the runoff election, with an emphasis on supporting grassroots groups led by Black women.
For months, all eyes were on Nov. 3 as the deciding day of the U.S.’ political future. Now that day is Jan. 5, as two Georgia runoff elections will decide control of the Senate and how much President-elect Joe Biden will be able to accomplish at the start of his term.
Since no candidate surpassed the necessary 50 percent of the vote in order to secure the seat, Democrat Raphael Warnock will again face off with incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, as will Democrat Jon Ossoff against incumbent Republican Sen. David Perdue. The tight races follow a monumental election year in Georgia, which saw the historically red state turn blue for the first time since 1992, and Hollywood activists are joining in to keep that Blue Wave flowing.
“This is one of the first years I’ve gotten phone calls not just from the celebrities, but from managers, from producers, from radio owners, from studio owners,” says Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown. “We never get a phone call from a studio owner. You’re like, ‘What?'”
John Legend and Kerry Washington are joining virtual text and phone bank Zooms, along with doing radio interviews in key counties and working with the campaigns; Jon Cryer and Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff have matched donations to the candidates and Georgia grassroots organizations via Twitter; and To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before author Jenny Han is hosting student-centered events aimed at registering Georgia teens ahead of the election. See more at THR.
