Some artists may not want to publicly announce who they are voting for, but public records don’t lie.
According to The Center for Responsive Politics, a research group dedicated to tracking money in the government and how it’s spent, several artists have been contributing money to their choice for presidency. Even though some artists may not tweet about politics or post about it on their Facebook wall, for some, their political beliefs are now exposed.
While both Katy Perry and Bruce Springsteen have performed in honor of President Obama, it is rapper will.i.am (legal name William Adams), who wrote the song “Yes We Can” for the 2008 election, who is the biggest artist contributor of all. The Black Eyed Pea gave $61,600 to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) this year, which more than doubles what the rest of the Obama supporters have given so far.
Composer Burt Bacharach, James Taylor, Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler round out the top five, all contributing over $30,000 to the DNC.
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Other notable celeb contributors to the Democratic Party include John Legend ($25,000), Boyd Tinsley from the Dave Matthews Band ($20,500), and Gwen Stefani, who gave $5,000 to Barack Obama’s campaign. The No Doubt singer also hosted Michelle Obama at her house this summer.
But Obama wasn’t the only one receiving funding from singers. Country singer Toby Keith contributed the most of the artists to the Republican Party, but his money wasn’t for Romney. His $2,500 went toward Rick Perry, and of the handful of remaining Republican contributors, only a total of $5,201 was contributed this year.
This number may seem low for the Republican Party, but funding for both Obama and Romney has come from several different avenues, including big names in Hollywood.
When it comes to celebrities, Hollywood boasts the most generous contributors, with director Steven Spielberg giving more than a million dollars to the Democratic Party, along with Morgan Freeman, who gave an even million. George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell also top the list, each giving $61,600.
Click here to see the full list of musicians who have contributed.
-Ashley Quadros and Shannon Carlin, CBS Local
