WASHINGTON (AP) — On a virtual call by “White Dudes for Harris,” it was probably fitting that “The Dude” stopped by.
Actor Jeff Bridges spoke at a fundraiser for white men supporting Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night, singing her praises before reveling in his iconic role as “The Dude” from 1998’s “The Big Lebowski,” declaring, “As the Dude would say, ‘That’s just my opinion, man.'” (The original line was, “That’s, well, just your opinion, man.”)
The call lasted more than three hours and drew more than 180,000 people, who donated more than $3.7 million, according to organizers. It was the latest in a series of Zoom meetings to raise money and mobilize support among tens of thousands of supporters for Harris after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing her.
Zooms have previously been organized based on the background of supporters – including Black women, Hispanic women, Black men, Asian Americans, Native Americans and the LGBTQ+ community.
It reflected how Democrats, including Biden, have often relied on voters from a variety of backgrounds to assemble a diverse coalition of support. The president’s victory in 2020, for example, drew on sections of the population ranging from organized labor to conservative suburban women disillusioned with Republican Donald Trump.
The “White Dudes” Zoom event also featured actors Mark Ruffalo, Mark Hamill and Bradley Whitford, who said with a earnest expression that so many white male speakers were “a rainbow of beige.”
Also in attendance were Democratic officials, including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, all of whom have been mentioned as possible Harris vice presidential candidates.
Pritzker joked that he wouldn’t normally attend an event with a name like ‘White Dudes for’ or something like that, while Buttigieg talked about what an honor it was to speak to Bridges on the phone as ‘The Dude’ before taking a more earnest tone: “Men are also freer in a country where we have a president who supports things like abortion rights.”
Walz said Trump supporters are not inherently bad people, but urged participants: “Never shy away from our progressive values. What is socialism to one person is neighborly love to another.”
Ross Morales Rocketto, a progressive activist who founded the “Dudes” group, said, “We know that the silent majority of white men are not MAGA supporters,” referring to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
The Zoom calls were not organized by Harris’ team, but her campaign is pleased with the support – and the millions of dollars in donations. “Successful campaigns are fueled by real, organic support,” said Michael Tyler, communications director for the Harris campaign.
Amit Ahuja, a professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, whose research focuses on the processes of inclusion and exclusion in multiethnic societies, said that “no campaign will say no” to groups from diverse backgrounds organizing and fueling enthusiasm and fundraising.
But he said it’s up to the candidate to accept support from individual groups while telling a broader personal story that can resonate across the country. One example is then-candidate Barack Obama, who ignored questions about his ethnic identity on the campaign trail and instead built a narrative around his personal history and hope.
“This is a challenge for both sides. This is a close race. Both need to build the largest coalition possible. And by focusing on one identity or the other, they could really hurt themselves,” Ahuja said. He said the best response is to ask voters to “look at the candidate, not the groups.”
Callers for Harris often include celebrities who have supported Biden’s campaign in the past, and their sheer numbers show that the vice president will need to appeal to different facets of the increasingly pluralistic population.
The political networking group Win With Black Women held a Zoom meeting the same night Biden dropped out, and attendance swelled to over 44,000. There were cheers from activists, business leaders, members of Congress and staff in the vice president’s office.
A virtual fundraiser called “Win With Black Men” then drew more than 53,000 attendees to hear several speeches, including from 27-year-old Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida, who has been lobbying Biden’s campaign among younger voters, and Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
A Zoom broadcast of “White Women for Harris” attracted more than 164,000 participants – so many that the platform could barely keep up with demand. Headliners included singer Pink, soccer star Megan Rapinoe and actress Connie Britton.
Trump’s campaign team also organized different support groups with different backgrounds. In swing states such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, events for black voters and “Latino Americans for Trump” were held.
Some Republicans have criticized Harris for her “diversity, equity and inclusion policies,” arguing that the vice president’s political career has been boosted by Democrats’ efforts to promote diversity. This is despite House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders on Capitol Hill disapproving of criticisms they see as racist and sexist – and instead urging party members to focus their criticism on Harris’s policy record.
North Carolina’s Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, announced shortly before the conference call began on Monday evening that he did not want to be considered as Harris’ running mate. In response to the Republicans’ attacks, he asked those present: “A candidate for DEI?”
“They say women and people of color don’t deserve to lead,” Cooper said. “We know better, guys.”
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Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
