Which Celebrities Are Endorsing Which Presidential Primary Candidates

Like it or not, we're in the middle of one of the tightest, most terrifying primary presidential elections in recent history. We may very well give America's biggest misogynistic, violent, despicable, Tang-stained Oompa Loompa a shot at becoming the leader of free world. All the while, we have two perfectly good candidates running against each other for the Democratic party's nomination, because that's just how the political system works in this country. With so much on the line, it's no surprise that celebrities have been using their platforms to help advocate for the candidate they believe will best help the U.S. Whether it's as simple as filming an endorsement video or going door to door campaigning, Hollywood is taking this election very seriously.

Get a quick rundown of each candidate's platform, and see what celebrities are endorsing Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, and, yes, Donald Trump in the gallery, below. And, not like you need to be reminded, but don't forget to vote in this year's primary elections—it's more important than ever.

Zoë Kravitz for Bernie Sanders

In case you haven't been following her on Instagram, actress, singer, and all-around beautiful person Zoë Kravitz is a huge proponent for Bernie Sanders. From DIY recorded videos to memes to posts pointing out inconsistencies in Hillary Clinton's campaign, Kravitz has done much more than simply pledge her support for the senator. After donating to the Sanders campaign, she voted in the New York primary elections yesterday. And while we're sure Clinton's win was disappointing to Kravitz, we have a feeling she's not done campaigning.

Miley Cyrus for Bernie Sanders

Miley Cyrus has never been one to hold back from asserting her opinion. Over the past year, the singer and actress has also added "activist" to her résumé as she launched Happy Hippie, a nonprofit organization aimed to help young homeless people, LGBTQ and otherwise. In addition to pointing out the many, many problems with someone like Donald Trump becoming President, Cyrus has also pledged her support for Sanders in a star-studded video and by Instagramming about him.  

Kristen Wiig for Bernie Sanders

There's no denying that Saturday Night Live plays a huge part in how the public engages and perceives presidential elections. While Wiig may no longer be playing a politician on the show, she is still making a public statement. Alongside Miley Cyrus, Zoë Kravitz, Mark Ruffalo, Gaby Hoffmann, Rosario Dawson, and more, she stars in the "A Few of Your Friends Are Feeling Bernie" video.

Shailene Woodley for Bernie Sanders

If you know anything about Shailene Woodley, it shouldn't come as a surprise that she would support a liberal candidate like Bernie Sanders. One month ago, Woodley ventured to Utah to encourage young people to vote for Sanders. She even went door to door campaigning for him.

Mark Ruffalo for Bernie Sanders

Mark Ruffalo who has always been involved in politics and environmental protection, has naturally become a massive champion for Bernie Sanders. In addition to retweeting just about any article he can find about Sanders' strengths and policies, he also went around Brooklyn, New York, interviewing the senator about his upbringing, civil rights background, and policies.

Spike Lee for Bernie Sanders

Director Spike Lee has always been one to support social issues that he believes in. To spread Bernie Sanders' message of equality, Lee teamed up with other influential voices to create a video encouraging people to "wake up" to the problems in our current political system and society, and vote for the senator. 

Vampire Weekend and Dirty Projectors for Bernie Sanders

As much of a large role as social media plays in the current election, a lot of importance still lies in the candidates' public appearances and speeches. In order to help ensure that Bernie Sanders' rallies got a large turnout and also had a longer shelf life on Twitter and the like, Vampire Weekend and Dirty Projectors played at his "Students for Bernie" rally in Iowa City back in January. "It feels a little fun to play a song called 'Unbelievers' when there's a big sign over there that says, 'A future to believe in,'" Vampire Weekend frontman Ezra Koenig said. "Maybe when this song was written, it came from a place of frustration or nihilism about the world, but we're so excited to be here and we feel the same way that you do about Bernie. He's somebody that we believe in."

Rosario Dawson for Bernie Sanders

Rosario Dawson has a pretty lengthy history of political activism, especially when it comes to presidential elections. Back in 2004, Dawson was arrested during a protest against President George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention. This time around, after fervently showing her support for Bernie Sanders at rallies, in videos, and on social media, Dawson was arrested while wearing a jacket with Sanders' face on it during a sit-in at Democracy Spring.

Susan Sarandon for Bernie Sanders

Susan Sarandon has been a powerful surrogate for Bernie Sanders over the past few months. Recently, her appearance on All in With Chris Hayes sparked controversy after she suggested that she would vote for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton. While she has since clarified her comments, she is doing all she can—providing social media support, going on multiple television appearances, and recording videos pledging her support—to make sure that Sanders gets elected in the primaries.

Hillary ClintonLGBT Rights: "Our work to reach the promise of full equality remains unfinished. LGBT kids continue to be discriminated against and bullied at school, a restaurant can refuse to serve a transgender person, and a same-sex couple is at risk of being evicted from their home. Hillary believes that we must stand firm and keep fighting until every American can not only marry, but also live, work, pray, learn, and raise a family free from discrimination and prejudice."

Health Care: "Building on the Affordable Care Act to expand coverage for millions of Americans, Hillary will: Make premiums more affordable and lessen out-of-pocket expenses for consumers purchasing health insurance on the Obamacare exchanges; support new incentives to encourage all states to expand Medicaid; invest in navigators, advertising, and other outreach activities to make enrollment easier; expand access to affordable health care to families regardless of immigration status; and continue to support a 'public option'—and work to build on the Affordable Care Act to make it possible."

Women's Reproductive Rights: "As president, she will continue defending Planned Parenthood, which provides critical health services including breast exams and cancer screenings to 2.7 million women a year. And she will work to ensure that all women have access to preventive care, affordable contraception, and safe, legal abortion—not just in principle, but in practice, by ending restrictions like the Hyde Amendment."

Climate Change: "I won’t let anyone take us backward, deny our economy the benefits of harnessing a clean energy future, or force our children to endure the catastrophe that would result from unchecked climate change."

Taxes: "Hillary will cut taxes for hard-working families to increase their take-home pay as they face rising costs from child care, health care, and sending their kids to college. She is calling for extending a tax cut of up to $2,500 per student to help deal with college costs as part of her New College Compact, and for cutting taxes for businesses that share profits with their employees... Hillary supports ending the 'carried interest' loophole, enacting the 'Buffett Rule' that ensures no millionaire pays a lower effective tax rate than their secretary, and closing tax loopholes and expenditures that benefit the wealthiest taxpayers to pay for her plan to make college affordable and refinance student debt."

Minimum Wage: "She has supported raising the federal minimum wage to $12, and believes that we should go further than the federal minimum through state and local efforts, and workers organizing and bargaining for higher wages, such as the Fight for 15 and recent efforts in Los Angeles and New York to raise their minimum wage to $15."

Education and Student Debt: "Hillary’s New College Compact will invest $350 billion so that students do not have to borrow to pay tuition at a public college in their state. Her plan will also significantly cut interest rates on student loans and enable an estimated 25 million Americans with student debt to refinance at today’s lower rates, saving the typical borrower $2,000 over the life of their loans."

[Via HillaryClinton.com]

Lena Dunham for Hillary Clinton

Lena Dunham has been championing for Hillary Clinton for quite some time now. On top of peppering her Instagram with #ImWithHer and wearing bespoke Clinton gear and making public appearances on Clinton's behalf, she also interviewed Clinton for Lenny Letter (and got Clinton to admit for the first time on the record that she is indeed a feminist) and has pointed out, on numerous occasions, that Clinton has risen above sexual prejudice time and time again. "I can't talk about Hillary Clinton without also acknowledging that she has survived horrific, gendered attacks on nearly every single aspect of her character with tremendous grace and aplomb," Dunham said during a speech in Iowa City. "The way she's been treated by the media is just more evidence of the anger that exists toward women, particularly ambitious women, and the way we are not allowed to exist on our own merits, rather than extensions of powerful men. That really moves me. It reminds me that we can all fight to rise above."

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer for Hillary Clinton

When we think of the girl-power values that Clinton represents, we think of Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer. So it's no surprise that the Broad City creators, and their fairy godmother Amy Poehler, are all in Clinton's corner. They even had Clinton guest star on an episode of the show. "We were not trying to make a statement, to be honest," Jacobson said at a SXSW appearance. "We wrote season three a year ago, at this point. That's not our show really: Let's make a political stance here. It was really more that this is something Ilana's character would do. Hillary, even regardless of where we stand—and we love Hillary—is such an iconic figure. These girls being around her is not an everyday thing. That's how we felt being around her. It was like, 'Oh, this is a different world.'"

Broad City

Renée Elise Goldsberry for Hillary ClintonWhile introducing Clinton at a rally in Harlem, New York, Hamilton star Renée Elise Goldsberry said, "She is fighting for us. And we are fighting for her... All the way into the White House because this is too important," before singing the national anthem.

Amy Schumer for Hillary Clinton

After dancing alongside Clinton in September, Amy Schumer made sure to vote for her in the New York primary election. The comedian posted a photo of herself in a Clinton-embellished T-shirt with her "I Voted" sticker on Twitter and urged others to #StandWithHer. 

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West for Hillary Clinton

The only thing harder than getting a selfie with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West is apparently getting a selfie with Hillary Clinton. But as with nearly everything in life, Kardashian got her wish and finally got a photo with the candidate at Scooter Braun's fundraiser, and made sure to add #HillaryForPresident.

Katy Perry for Hillary Clinton

Katy Perry and Hillary Clinton have had a love affair for nearly two years now. Back in June 2014, Perry Instagrammed a photo of her and Clinton, and said she offered to write her a theme song if she ever needs it. Clinton tweeted back, and since then, the pop star has been a fervent supporter. She's rocked Clinton gear, performed at a fundraiser for her, and, of course, continued to offer her support on social media.

George Clooney for Hillary Clinton

George Clooney, actor, activist, and husband of Amal is a big fan of Hillary Clinton. In fact, he's such a big fan that he wrote a letter urging people to support Clinton. "As this primary process continues, Hillary could soon have an insurmountable delegate lead and with that, the Democratic nomination," he wrote. "That would then make her the only grown-up in the room. And if ever there was a time for a grown-up, that time is now."

Kendall Jenner for Hillary Clinton

Of the entire Kardashian and Jenner family, Kendall may be the least outspoken of the bunch. Still, the model used her platform to endorse Clinton for president when she posted a photo of herself in a Marc Jacobs-designed Clinton T-shirt. While succinct, there's no doubting how many millions of young people saw the post and became that slightest bit more interested in Clinton's campaign.

Donald TrumpLGBT Rights: Donald Trump has yet to take a clear stance on LGBT rights, and does not even include them on the issues or positions portions of his website. See this video for his conflicting words.

Health Care: "On day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare. However, it is not enough to simply repeal this terrible legislation. We will work with Congress to make sure we have a series of reforms ready for implementation that follow free market principles and that will restore economic freedom and certainty to everyone in this country. By following free market principles and working together to create sound public policy that will broaden health care access, make health care more affordable and improve the quality of the care available to all Americans."

Women's Reproductive Rights: Again, Trump has yet to take a clear stance on women's reproductive rights, and does not include the issue of women's rights, Planned Parenthood, or abortion rights on his website. On June 28, during an interview with CNN, when asked if he opposed abortion, he said, "Right. I'm pro-choice." Then, when asked if he was pro-choice or pro-life, he said, "I'm pro-life. I'm sorry." On March 30, during a town hall with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, he said that women who receive abortions after it is illegal should be punished (men would not). Then, an hour later, a spokesperson for Trump released a statement from Trump saying, "This issue is unclear and should be put back into the states for determination. Like Ronald Reagan, I am pro-life with exceptions, which I have outlined numerous times." Then, an hour and a half later, his campaign released another statement saying, “If Congress were to pass legislation making abortion illegal and the federal courts upheld this legislation, or any state were permitted to ban abortion under state and federal law.” The statement also said that “the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman.” Then, two days later, he told CBS, "The laws are set now on abortion and that’s the way they're going to remain until they’re changed... At this moment, the laws are set. And I think we have to leave it that way."

Climate Change: In 2012, Trump tweeted, "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." He recently told The Washington Post, "I am not a great believer in man-made climate change.

Taxes: "One of the things I'm gonna do and largely with our great tax plan where everybody's taxes is going down, we're gonna grow our economy. We have to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt. So unfair. So totally unfair to our young people. We are not gonna leave you with that burden." 

Minimum Wage: Though not on his website, Trump opposes an increase in the minimum wage. As he told conservative radio host Joe Pags, "We’re going to bring jobs back so much and so many that the minimum wage will hopefully be a figure that people won’t want to think about." 

Education and Student Debt: Trump has not taken an official stance on student debt, but according to US News, last July, Trump told The Hill, "That's probably one of the only things the government shouldn't make money off—I think it's terrible that one of the only profit centers we have is student loans."

Charlie Sheen for Donald Trump

Back in August 2015, Charlie Sheen tweeted that he would be Trump's vice president "in a heartbeat." And while it would seem fitting, even Sheen has redacted his support for the bankruptcy-prone bigot. As Gossip Cop reports, the actor recently tweeted (and seems to have deleted), "Hey Trump, ‘A farce or comedy is best played; a tragedy is best read at home’ Abe Lincoln. America please WAKE UP! #AnyoneButTrump."

Mike Tyson for Donald Trump

On an appearance on Huffington Post Live, former boxer Mike Tyson stated that Trump should be president. "Let’s try something new," he said. "Let’s run America like a business, where no colors matter. Whoever can do the job, gets the job." He also defended Trump's discriminatory words against Latinos, saying that although his words were "crude," he doesn't think Trump "thinks of Latinos in that way."

Aaron Carter for Donald Trump

Aaron Carter has been trying to make his comeback to pop music. Along the way, he decided to send a reply to one of Donald Trump's tweets and declare his support for the man who wants to make America great again, but in reality, will make it worse. "Does America want to have a president who FOLLOWS or someone who leads? I vote For @realdonaldtrump," he wrote. Backlash ensued, and he then sent out another series of tweets. "Good thing I live in America and I have the right to my own opinion such as a lot of my NON supporters have for me at times," he said. "That’s ok. Losing fans gaining fans all good so what happens when Donald becomes president relax people." Then, a fan sent out his management's contact information and urged people to contact them and ask him to drop him as a client. He responded, "You have NO RIGHT to bully me and do this over my political views you need to stop I said the things I don't condone." Now, he says he's not even voting anymore. "I honestly don’t think I will at this point," he tweeted. "I’ve been bullied so badly because of it I don’t even want to vote now."

Azealia Banks for Donald Trump

In a series of tweets, rapper Azealia Banks endorsed Donald Trump and explained why he has her support. "Ok so, I think I'm ready to admit that I'm going to vote for Donald Trump," she started. "I think Trump is the only one who truly has the balls to bust up big business. Hilary is too tied in with them and Bernie has no clout. Just because Hilary Clinton and Bernie sanders say nice things about minorities doesn't mean they actually mean them," she continued. "Politicians have been saying 'nice' things about colored folks and we've still been getting fucked. I only trust this country to be what it is: full of shit. takes shit to know shit so we may as well, put a piece of shit in the White House. I have no hope for America. It is what it is. Capitalist, consumerist, racist land of make believe. Its inherently evil and must feed ...On others for it to survive. I didn't create it. I'm not proud of it . But I am here.... And it's all I know. I was having a conversation over dinner with a friend about "the greater good of America" and what it means figuratively and literally. Like, how could the American Dream at this point survive without relying on a systematically oppressed underclass. Can it? ... It can't. It's fucked up to know that in order for me to have this first world life someone somewhere else is suffering. But what do you do? And what does it mean? Do societies naturally organize themselves this way? Is this fate or conspiracy? I'm very pro-Africa and pro-africana but American exceptionalism and the American paradigm is super interesting to me. Just how this web of lies and oppression has spawned itself into this global influence and made people proud to be a part of it. So proud that they'll fight and die for it. In conclusion, I think Donald trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him."

Bernie SandersLGBT Rights: "The United States has made remarkable progress on gay rights in a relatively short amount of time. But there is still much work to be done. In many states, it is still legal to fire someone for being gay. It is legal to deny someone housing for being transgender. That is unacceptable and must change. We must end discrimination in all forms."

Health Care: "Guaranteeing health care as a right of citizenship by enacting a Medicare for all single-payer healthcare system. It’s time for the U.S. to join every major industrialized country on earth and provide universal healthcare to all."

Women's Reproductive Rights: "The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman and her doctor to make, not the government. We are not going to allow the extreme right-wing to defund Planned Parenthood, we are going to expand it... The current attempt to malign Planned Parenthood is part of a long-term smear campaign by people who want to deny women in this country the right to control their own bodies. We are not going back to the days when women did not have full access to birth control."

Climate Change: "The scientists are virtually unanimous that climate change is real... they tell us, if we do not act boldly the situation will only become much worse in years to come in terms of drought, floods, extreme storms, and acidification of the oceans. Sadly, we now have a Republican Party that is more concerned about protecting the profits of Exxon, BP, and Shell and the coal industry than protecting the planet. While fossil fuel companies are raking in record profits, climate change ravages our planet and our people—all because the wealthiest industry in the history of our planet has bribed politicians into ignoring science."

Taxes: "Demanding that the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share in taxes. As president, Sen. Sanders will stop corporations from shifting their profits and jobs overseas to avoid paying U.S. income taxes. He will create a progressive estate tax on the top 0.3 percent of Americans who inherit more than $3.5 million. He will also enact a tax on Wall Street speculators who caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, homes, and life savings."

Minimum Wage: "Increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2020. In the year 2015, no one who works 40 hours a week should be living in poverty."

Education and Student Debt: "Making tuition free at public colleges and universities throughout America. Everyone in this country who studies hard should be able to go to college regardless of income."

[Via BernieSanders.com]

Ted CruzLGBT Rights: "Marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman, it has strengthened societies for millennia, and we must uphold the truth of marriage. Extreme leftists—activist judges, the Obama Administration, and academic elites—are trying to extinguish these most fundamental, God-given rights."

Health Care: "There’s no greater regulatory reform than repealing every word of Obamacare. We need to enact reforms that make health care personal, portable, and affordable. Specifically, we need open insurance markets across state lines, expand Health Savings Accounts, and delink health insurance from employment."

Women's Reproductive Rights: Cruz is against abortion. "Life, marriage, and family are the fundamental building blocks of society. Life is a precious gift from God. We must cherish and defend it. Without life, there is no liberty; without life, there is no pursuit of happiness." In regards to Planned Parenthood: "If Ted is elected president, he will instruct his Attorney General to investigate Planned Parenthood on day one."

Climate Change: There is no official stance on Cruz's website. He recently said, "Thirty, forty years ago a whole bunch of liberal politicians, a bunch of scientists, were advocating, they said we were facing global cooling. We're going to have another ice age. And their solution to this was massive government control of the economy, the energy sector and every aspect of our lives. But then the facts and science stood in the way. It turned out the Earth wasn't cooling."

Taxes: "Under the Cruz Simple Flat Tax, all income groups will see a double-digit increase in after-tax income. The current seven rates of personal income tax will collapse into a single low rate of 10 percent. For a family of four, the first $36,000 will be tax-free. The IRS will cease to exist as we know it, there will be zero targeting of individuals based on their faith or political beliefs, and there will be no way for thousands of agents to manipulate the system."

Minimum Wage: "When the dollar is high as it is today, prices tend to fall, which is good for consumers, but farmers, ranchers, and the energy industry get hurt, as do American exporters.  America needs a more stable dollar."

Education and Student Debt: Cruz has not released an official statement about student debt and what his administration's stance on it would be.

[Via TedCruz.org]

Caitlyn Jenner for Ted Cruz

Despite the criticism it gears toward her, Caitlyn Jenner is Republican and she is conservative. While she hasn't officially endorsed a candidate in this upcoming primary election, she did say some nice things about Ted Cruz in an interview. “I like Ted Cruz,” she said. “I think he’s very conservative and a great constitutionalist and a very articulate man. I haven’t endorsed him or anything like that. But I also think, he’s an evangelical Christian, and probably one of the worst ones when it comes to trans issues.”