"White Dudes for Harris"

New group focuses on supporting the Harris campaign

In an election season that has been marked by some rapid developments, the Harris candidacy has certainly energized the left. I joined the “White Dudes for Harris” 2024 kickoff call on Monday which featured some high-profile white dudes including Jeff Bridges and Pete Buttigieg. Thanks to several readers who sent me the info! The organization’s website is whitedudesforharris.com

The group is led by Ross Morales Rocketto, pictured above. I was encouraged by the themes of the call as they are along the lines of those in my book. Although my book focuses more broadly on all men, the general concept is similar.

The speakers recognized the need for men to be energized and vote Democrat for Harris to win while also acknowledging the issues many men (including white men) face including suicide, deaths of despair, and the loneliness epidemic. Rocketto shared a personal story of a close friend who had taken his own life which has served as an inspiration for his work.

Several speakers noted that just a couple more percent of men voting Democrat could make the difference, particularly in the swing states — one of my mantras! Speakers focused not just on what is wrong with the other party, but on the positive things Democrats and the potential Harris administration could do. Another speaker talked about the importance of men’s groups where men feel comfortable gathering to share their emotions. Economic challenges of men were also discussed. And several also noted that men’s issues shouldn’t just be a topic of the right — another point I have been making. It was satisfying to hear these ideas shared in such a public forum!

This organization, founded just last week, could be an extremely important force in this election, along with support from similar groups created by Black women, Hispanic women, Black men, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The call was successful with over 120,000 attendees and around $3.5 $4 million raised. Pretty impressive for a group that was just created a few days ago!

There has also been a controversy over the temporary shutting down of White Dudes for Harris’s X (Twitter) account, though that seems to be resolved. The meeting is also remarkable in that it is one of the few times that male voters as a bloc made the news cycle in such a big way in a left-leaning context.

Live donation matches included $50K each from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, director JJ Abrams, and NYU Professor Scott Galloway. I’ve been impressed with Galloway as I’ve heard more from him this past year.

Rocketto also works for an organization called Run for Something whose team I enjoyed meeting on my recent trip to Netroots Nation which was hosted in Baltimore this year. He was a well-spoken and confident host on the Zoom call. Here are a few screenshots:

Jeff Bridges. The penultimate dude.

Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Musician Josh Grobin.

Actor Bradley Whitford.

They also sell their hats, here: merchpac.org

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said, “This is preaching to the choir, but the choir needs to sing!”

California Congressman, and US Senate Candidate, Adam Schiff.

Actor Joseph Gordon Levitt didn’t mince words in his criticism and used the word “con man” frequently to describe Harris’s opponent in the upcoming election.

And finally Mark Hamill joined the call:

Overall, the vibe was good and the excitement level was high. I was wondering if there would be a men’s group forming around the election, and it seems like Harris’s candidacy has inspired several of them including this one.