WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders rolled out a long list of celebrity endorsers Friday, another sign that his presidential campaign is stepping up its game as polls continue to show him surging in early primary states against national frontrunner and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
In a release, the campaign touted a sampling of the 128 celebrities who signed a letter stating, "We endorse Bernie Sanders to become the 2016 Democratic Nominee for President of the United States."
"A small sampling of the names includes actors Will Ferrell and Mark Ruffalo, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, actor and musician Michael 'Killer Mike' Render, Margaret Cho, and co-founder of Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak, just to name a few," reads the release.
The celebrities quoted in the release include Adam McKay, Will Ferrell's writing partner and the director of a couple of films starring Ferrell, guitarist Wayne Kramer and hip-hop artist Lil B.
Actor and activist Mark Ruffalo, who publicly begged Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run earlier this year, attended a fundraiser for Sanders in New York City Friday and posted his support for Sanders on Instagram.
Hollywood is generally thought to be a main fundraising engine for Clinton, who has a long, star-studded celebrity endorsement list of her own. Ruffalo's move, as well as an endorsement for Sanders from actor Danny DeVito — who maxed out a contribution to former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley earlier in the year — suggests Sanders is winning over some of the stars still up for grabs.
"Many of the artists on the list have never endorsed a candidate before," the Sanders campaign noted in the release.