Organizers of last night’s “White Dudes for Harris” call reported that over 193,000 white men (and likely some allies) tuned in to the call. Wow, just wow. The call raised over $4.2 million and counting (you can still donate here). Other stats reported by the organizers included that the call was the “second most trending topic on Twitter,” with “Twitter bans” coming in at one point. “We seem to have touched a nerve yesterday,” organizers wrote in an email after the call. More from the organizers:
Words cannot express how incredible this moment is and what it means for the future. Last night was just the beginning of big things to come. We had special guest Jeff Bridges, we heard amazing things from Governors Walz and Pritzker, Sean Astin’s amazing personal story, Mark Hamill using the Force… What we learned last night is that we are in this together.
And being in this together means that from now until the election, we are powerful. Let’s use that power for good, to change the minds of other white people, and do our part to help Kamala Harris make history.
The call lasted more than three hours, but for me it flew by. The call began with a point that white men have a lot of work to do, given that so many people have supported Trump so far. Speaker after speaker shared personal stories and moving moments, and I am more motivated than ever to win this election. It’s hard to pick a favorite. I think it was Adam Conover from “Adam Ruins Everything” saying, “It’s time for average white men to win against rich white men” (Elon, can you hear me?) or actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt talking about how his father has been an honest businessman all his life, compared to the con man Trump. Of course, Governor Walz, Governor Cooper (“Real men respect women”), Senator Peters, and Mayor Pete were all great. For those of you who were on the call, what were the highlights?
The call was covered by the New York Times, NBC News, and many other media outlets. Here’s a good bit from the NBC News article:
But amid the jokes, the men spoke frankly and movingly about their struggles with masculinity, the difficulty of expressing emotion and feeling alienated from other white men who are at the core of Trump’s support.
“Black women have voted for progressive white men for generations, and now it’s our turn to vote for them,” said Rory O’Malley, the Broadway actor who played Elder McKinney in “The Book of Mormon.”
Some said the event gave them a rare sense of community and catharsis.
“White people are really tired of this never-ending parade of weird MAGA Republicans trying to bend our democracy to its limits,” Brad Bauman, a longtime Democratic communications consultant who helped organize the call, told NBC News.
Call organizers said they will reach out again in the coming days about next steps and additional opportunities to get involved. Until then, let’s do all we can to elect Kamala Harris as our next President!
PS: Another stat: Over 5,700 White Dudes for Harris caps have been sold so far. You can purchase one here.