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‘Desperate Housewives,’ Spielberg Donate in L.A. Race

Actress Marcia Cross, seen at a 2008 Capitol Hill press conference about breast cancer, is among the stars donating in California's 33rd District race. (CQ Roll Call File Photo)
Actress Marcia Cross, seen at a 2008 Capitol Hill press conference about breast cancer, is among the stars donating in California's 33rd District race. (CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., counts many of Hollywood’s biggest names among his constituents in his 33rd District, located in the wealthy areas of L.A. County including Santa Monica, Malibu and Beverly Hills.  

But now that he’s retiring from Congress after 20 terms, many of those famous names are appearing in the fundraising reports of the more than one dozen candidates seeking to replace him.  

Former Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, a Democrat who also worked as an executive at DreamWorks, has a number of famous names contributing to her $672,000 haul , including director Steven Spielberg and his wife, actress Kate Capshaw.  

Matt Miller, a radio host and former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, also raised cash from movie stars and former pols.  

Supporters who contributed to Miller’s $518,000 first-quarter fundraising include:

  • Actor Tate Donovan, who starred in the teen drama “The O.C.” and the Academy Award winning film “Argo.”
  • Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who recently lost a primary race for New York City city comptroller.

Spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson, an independent who has racked up a number of celebrity endorsements in the contest, raised an eye-popping $698,000 in the first quarter. A number of famous names appear in her report, including:

  • Former “Desperate Housewives” actresses Marcia Cross and Dana Delany.
  • Former soap opera star Eileen Davidson, who played character Ashley Abbott in “The Young and the Restless” in the 1980s.
  • Nancy Sinatra, daughter of legendary musician Frank Sinatra.
  • Julianne Phillips, an actress and ex-wife of legendary singer Bruce Springsteen.

Missing from Williamson’s impressive first-quarter haul are donations from actress Eva Longoria  of “Desperate Housewives,” Kim Kardashian , pop star Katy Perry and designer Nicole Richie , even though each of those megastars recently endorsed Williamson’s bid. They do not appear on Williamson’s report covering donations through March 31 filed with Federal Election Commission.  

Williamson, Greuel, Miller and a number of other candidates will face off in a June 3, top-two primary, in which the two highest vote recipients, regardless of party, advance to the general election in November.  

Other candidates include state Sen. Ted Lieu, a Democrat, and Republican candidate Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Elan S. Carr, also the president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity .  

The 33rd District is heavily Democratic. President Barack Obama won the area in 2012 by a 24-point margin.  

The race is rated a Safe Democratic contest by Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

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