Actors Paul Rudd and Alec Baldwin headlined a New York City fundraiser on Monday night for Antonio Delgado, the Democratic congressional candidate for New York's 19th Congressional District.
The fundraiser, which received very little publicity until attendees posted pictures and videos on social media, was held at the Bowery Ballroom concert venue in Manhattan. The suggested contribution for attendees started at $100 per person, increased to $250 for the "friend" donor level, and to become a host, the campaign asked individuals to pay or raise $500.
Rudd, who is well-known for several films such as Anchorman and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and his wife have donated a combined $10,800, the maximum legal amount they can contribute to the campaign. While Rudd co-owns a Rhinebeck, New York candy shop in the 19th District, the Center for Responsive Politics lists Los Angeles as his main residence.
Baldwin, who lampoons President Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live" and has been an outspoken critic of the president and Republicans, spoke in support of Delgado at the event.
"This guy is smart. This guy is charming. This guy is educated, law degree, Harvard, the whole shmegeggy with this guy. Remember one thing, if you don't get him elected to the Congress, I'm going to take him to Tom Cruise. He's going to be the next [inaudible]," Baldwin said, according to a temporary Instagram video that has since expired. He also told the crowd to remind friends and family to get out and vote.
Baratunde Thurston, a black comedian and former director of digital at The Onion, also spoke at the event, along with the candidate himself.
The 19th District spans an area of the state well outside of Manhattan, situated north of the 17th, 18th, and New York City districts, and east, west, and south of the 20th District encapsulating Albany.
Delgado's fundraiser comes on the heels of dozens of liberal activists from New York City being bused up to the 19th District to volunteer for Delgado's campaign. However, before they reached their destination, a female organizer told the volunteers not to say where they are from because the campaign is concerned about the optics of receiving outside support, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
The Washington Free Beacon obtained audio of Kate Linker, president of Greater NYC for Change, telling a group of volunteers on a bus sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D., N.Y.) that the Delgado campaign is concerned about the optics of them visiting, saying that they should not post on social media that they are from New York City.
"One thing that I wanted to say that is important, if you post on social media, please do not mention that you are from New York City," Linker said. "The reason is, much though they love us, the Faso campaign on September 15th posted that the Delgado campaign was bussing in bus loads of New York City democratic socialists, bringing outsiders in to try to sway the campaign. And the [Delgado] campaign is understandably concerned about this."
Linker's concerns stem back to mid-September, when Faso castigated his opponent's campaign for "bussing Democratic-Socialists up from Manhattan." The Free Beacon previously reported on a couple dozen liberal New York City activists who were bussed up to the district and portrayed as campaign volunteers from the district.
The National Republican Congressional Committee slammed Delgado's "failing campaign," saying he receives most of his support from outside the district.
"Interested in where Antonio Delgado’s support comes from? Look anywhere but New York’s 19th district," NRCC spokesman Chris Martin said." No wonder he’s bringing in New York City liberals by the busload to prop up his failing campaign."
Delgado is a former rapper and six-figure lawyer at Akin Gump, a top-50 law firm with over $1 billion in annual revenue that was the largest lobbying firm by revenue in the United States in 2017.