A Zoom call dubbed “White Dudes for Harris,” the latest in a series of unofficial, virtual hangouts aimed at motivating and organizing supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris, raised more than $4 million on Monday night and attracted Democratic power players, running mate hopefuls and celebrities — including “The Dude” himself, Jeff Bridges.
“I accepted the invitation, I was brought to the party not so much as being white, and I certainly am, but because I’m a dude, you know?” Bridges, who portrayed Jeff “The Dude” Leboswki in 1998’s “The Big Lebowski,” said on the call. “Because I qualify, man. I’m white, I’m a dude, and I’m for Harris! … A woman president, man, how exciting.”
The “White Dudes for Harris” call follows similar efforts undertaken by Black women, Black men, white women, Latino men, South Asian men and LGBTQ+ Americans in the days since President Joe Biden stepped down and endorsed Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket.
The call attracted running mate hopefuls like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who announced Monday night he was withdrawing from consideration, was there as well — and celebrities like Mark Hamill, Lance Bass, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Gad, Sean Astin, J.J. Abrams and Josh Groban.
“What a variety of whiteness we have here,” Bradley Whitford, star of “The West Wing” and “Billy Madison,” quipped. “It’s like a rainbow of beige.”
Those who spoke sought to emphasize that not all white males — a group that then-President Donald Trump won by 57% in 2020, per the Pew Research Center — are behind the Republican former president.
“We know that the silent majority of white men aren’t MAGA supporters,” said Ross Morales Rocketto, a Democratic operative who organized the group.
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