Presidential candidates have filed fundraising reports for the first three months of the 2020 campaign! This information has presumably inspired heated debate about each candidate’s momentum and viability and other vague topics, though we have not read any of the articles, so you will have to search elsewhere for that stuff. We have, however, scoured principal campaign committee receipts on the Federal Election Commission website to compile a list of popular musicians who have donated this quarter to any of the many people seeking the Democratic nomination. What follows should not influence your own political decisions in any way, but if it influences your view of Bon Jovi, that’s OK.
A few notes. Donors list their occupation and address along with their contribution. It’s possible, though probably not very likely, that there’s another self-employed actress named Amanda Moore from Longwood, Florida, or another guitar-slinging Jon Bongiovi in Jersey. And if the donation totals seem a little paltry from people who in some cases are quite wealthy, remember that FEC rules bar individual contributors from giving more than $2,800 to a candidate per primary or general election campaign. This list is ordered by quarterly fundraising totals.
Bernie Sanders ($20.7 million)
- Norah Jones: $2,500
- Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters guitarist): $1,000
- Jonathan Fishman (Phish drummer): $1,000
- Brandi Carlile: $600
- Oteil Burbridge (Dead & Company bassist): $550
- Noelle Scaggs (Fitz and the Tantrums singer): $500
- Rostam Batmanglij (formerly of Vampire Weekend): $250
- Bob Ezrin (producer): $250
- Dustin Davidson (August Burns Red bassist): $216
- Jackson Browne: $101
Elizabeth Warren ($16.5 million)
- Jackson Browne: $300
Kamala Harris ($13.2 million)
Beto O’Rourke ($9.4 million)
- Willie Nelson: $2,800
- Boyd Tinsley (Dave Matthews Band violinist): $2,800
- Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead bassist): $1,850
Cory Booker ($7.9 million)
- Jon Bon Jovi: $5,600 ($2,800 of which was reattributed to Bon Jovi’s wife based on contribution limits)
- Joel Madden (Good Charlotte singer): $2,800
Pete Buttigieg ($7.1 million)
- Mandy Moore: $2,000
- Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes singer/guitarist): $250
- Paul Doucette (Matchbox Twenty drummer): $250
Andrew Yang ($1.8 million)
- Rivers Cuomo (Weezer singer/guitarist): $1,000
- Hunter Hunt-Hendrix (Liturgy singer/guitarist): $1,000
If you notice other musicians in any candidate’s fundraising reports, or know any other information you’d like to share, let us know at [email protected].
