Actor Mark Ruffalo threw his support behind three left-wing Michigan candidates in an online fundraiser, telling participants that the movement he says began in 2016 is “coming to bear fruit.”
The “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” star appeared in the video fundraiser for U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, 7th Congressional District candidate William Lawrence and 13th Congressional District candidate Donavan McKinney, all three of whom faced Democratic primary elections in Michigan on Tuesday.
Mr. El-Sayed, who ran against Rep. Haley Stevens for the Democratic Senate nomination, has publicly rejected the socialist label despite having appeared at multiple Democratic Socialists of America events over the years. He does not appear to have received a formal national DSA endorsement, but has drawn extensive backing from DSA-aligned politicians, including every current member of the informal left-wing group known as the Squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez and Greg Casar.
Mr. Ruffalo told the fundraiser, “This is our movement coming to bear fruit. I mean, this is what we started in 2016. This is where the progressives have been moving. This is our time. And they have to spend more and more money each time to beat us. And it’s just a matter of time till they flop, and this could be it.”
He predicted the Democratic Party’s establishment wing would eventually be squeezed out by the left as it spends more each cycle to compete.
Mr. Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement who has organized alongside Democratic Socialists of America-aligned groups, ran in the Democratic primary for the Republican-held 7th District against former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink and former Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam. Mr. McKinney, a state representative and Democratic Socialists of America member, challenged Rep. Shri Thanedar in the heavily Democratic Detroit-area 13th District.
Mr. Ruffalo, who reprises his role as Bruce Banner in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” has long advocated higher taxes on wealthy Americans and campaigned for Democratic and left-wing candidates over multiple election cycles. Published estimates of his salary for the film and overall net worth have not been independently verified.
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