Kamala Harris Endorsed for President by 88 Business Leaders Including James Murdoch, Peter Chernin, Mark Cuban, Barry Diller

VP Kamala Harris has garnered support for her 2024 presidential campaign from executives spanning multiple industry sectors including Hollywood in a new open letter signed by 88 business leaders.

Signatories to the letter, first reported by CNBC, include James Murdoch, founder and CEO of investment firm Lupa Systems and former CEO of 21st Century Fox — whose political leanings are sharply divergent from those of his father, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Hollywood names on the list include Peter Chernin, co-founder and partner of the Chernin Group holding company; Jeff Bewkes, former CEO of Time Warner; Barry Diller, chairman of IAC and former CEO of Paramount Pictures and Fox; and Michael Lynton, chairman of Snap and former CEO of Sony Entertainment. Also signing the letter is outspoken billionaire Mark Cuban, a co-host of ABC’s “Shark Tank” and owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Not surprisingly, the letter’s signatories include Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former studio exec who was a major fundraiser for President Biden before Biden dropped out of the race. Katzenberg is currently founder and managing partner of investment firm WndrCo.; prior to launching his ill-fated Quibi streaming venture, he was CEO of DreamWorks Animation and head of Walt Disney Studios and Paramount Pictures.

The letter does not call out Donald Trump by name. Harris’ election “is the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy,” the letter says. “With Kamala Harris in the White House, the business community can be confident that it will have a President who wants American industries to thrive.”

The business leaders touted Harris’ “strong record of advancing actions to spur business investment in the United States and ensure American businesses can compete and win in the global market” during her tenure as VP to President Biden. “She will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment, and she will strive to give every American the opportunity to pursue the American dream,” it says.

Other execs signing the letter include Maverick Carter, CEO of the SpringHill Co. (co-founded with LeBron James); Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, who owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, WNBA’s Mystics and the NHL’s Washington Capitals; Charles Phillips, former president of Oracle, ex-CEO of Infor and current Paramount Global board member; and NBA great Earvin “Magic” Johnson, chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises.

Other notable names on the list, who are longtime Democratic boosters, include Laurene Powell Jobs, founder and president of Emerson Collective; John Doerr, chairman of VC firm Kleiner Perkins; Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary; and Reid Hoffman, partner at Greylock Partners and executive chairman of LinkedIn.

Other Hollywood execs who have backed Harris include Netflix executive chairman Reed Hastings. Celebs endorsing her include George Clooney, Shonda Rhimes, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, Nick Offerman, Mark Hamill, Jeff Bridges and J.J. Abrams.

Here’s the text of the letter with all of the signatories, in alphabetical order (via CNBC):

We endorse Kamala Harris’s election as President of the United States.

Her election is the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy. With Kamala Harris in the White House, the business community can be confident that it will have a President who wants American industries to thrive. As a partner to President Biden, Vice President Harris has a strong record of advancing actions to spur business investment in the United States and ensure American businesses can compete and win in the global market. She will continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment, and she will strive to give every American the opportunity to pursue the American dream.