Susan Collins to get Hollywood treatment at fundraiser with Democrats

Boston Globe

19 hours ago

The fundraiser will be held at the home of Sherry Lansing, a former Paramount Pictures chair and prominent liberal donor, according to three people with knowledge of the fundraiser. Lansing's home in the Bel Air neighborhood is a mainstay on the philanthropy and Democratic fundraising circuit, hosting the likes of Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis of California on her patio, which opens to sweeping views of Los Angeles.
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Lansing is set to co-host the event with Casey Wasserman, the sports and entertainment mogul and chair of the Los Angeles Olympics organizing committee, which is handling logistics for the Summer Games in 2028. Wasserman is a longtime Democratic giver as well, but he has taken steps to ingratiate himself with the right as of late, giving Olympic medals to President Donald Trump at the White House this month and donating to some Republicans during this election cycle.
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Casey Wasserman, chairman of LA28, presented medals from the 1984 Olympics to President Trump in Washington on Aug. 5.
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
The Bel Air event has attracted some attention in Hollywood because Democrats will need to topple Republicans such as Collins if they have a chance at retaking the Senate. It is unclear how strong a candidate Democrats will field in Maine. On Tuesday, a political novice, Graham Platner, announced his entry into the Democratic primary.
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Wasserman and Lansing decided to participate in the Southern California fundraiser because it was set up as a bipartisan host committee, with two Democrats and two Republicans, according to a person close to them.
One of the Republicans is Harry E. Sloan, a former chair of MGM and a current member of the Lionsgate board. Sloan was once a prominent backer of moderate Republicans such as John McCain, but in recent years he has also made six-figure contributions to Democrats, including to back the 2024 presidential campaigns of Joe Biden and then Kamala Harris. Sloan's wife, Florence, a filmmaker with similar giving patterns to her husband, is also listed on the invitation.
The other Republican hosting the event is Michael Burns, vice chair of the Lionsgate film and television studio.
'I'm proud to have supported my dear friend Senator Collins for many years,' Burns said in a text message. 'She remains a clear-thinking, bipartisan moderate in a world that, at least for the moment, is something far different.'
Lansing, Wasserman and Sloan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Collins' campaign had no comment.
Tickets for the reception run from $3,500 to $10,000.
Collins is also expected to attend finance events in Northern California around the time of the Bel Air fundraiser, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
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