Cory Booker Cashing In On National Name Recognition

Cory Booker is trading heavily on his national name recognition to fill his campaign war chest, attracting a slew of Hollywood money in his bid to become New Jersey’s junior Senator, according to campaign finance reports.

Booker, who leads in recent polling by about 40 percentage points, has banked hundred of thousands in big-name Hollywood money, including donations from “Lost” creators J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, actor-director Rob Reiner, actress Jennifer Garner and her husband Ben Affleck and director Steven Spielberg.

Booker has raised $4.6 million since March, with much of that money coming from outside of New Jersey, according to finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Booker brought in $294,070 from California backers in the first quarter of 2013, with close to a dozen movie and television studio executives, including former Lautenberg supporter Steven Bing, founder of Shangri-La Productions.

Executives from HBO, Warner Brothers Studios and Walt Disney Studios also gave money to Booker’s campaign in both the first and second quarters of this year, according to the reports.

“The contributions are a direct result of the mayor’s leadership and work in Newark and his success at bringing Newark’s challenges, which had long been ignored by the rest of America, to the nation’s attention, attracting $400 million in philanthropic giving to improve lives in his city,” Booker spokesman, Kevin Griffis, said. “They also send a strong signal that as senator, he will be able to make New Jersey’s issues the nation’s issues.”

Booker’s popularity isn’t limited to Hollywood. His appeal extends to some of the richest people in the world, according to the reports.

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City has contributed the max allowed at $10,400. Fellow billionaires Christy Walton, the Texan wife of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder, also have contributed $10,400, the reports say.

Other tech executives have jumped aboard the Booker Campaign, including Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Zillow founder Rich Barton, who have contributed $5,000 and $5,200, respectively.

Ivanka Trump, daughter of real estate mogul and one-time presidential candidate Donald Trump, has donated $10,400. Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner has also contributed the same amount.

Election law caps individual donations for campaigns at $2,600. But Booker is raising money for four elections simultaneously – the Aug. 13 primary, Oct. 16 special election, and the primary and general elections in 2014, allowing him to collect up to $10,400.

Other notable contributors include David Geffen and Barry Gordy, the respective founders of Geffen and Motown Records, as well as Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape.

Griffis also said the Booker campaign has been successful in bringing in New Jersey contributors.

“We are proud of the New Jersey support we’ve received – more than 2,00 in-state contributors in the last quarter, setting the pace in this campaign,” he said.

Notable Contributors to Booker’s Senate Campaign:

• Michael Bloomberg, New York City Mayor: $10,400
• Christy Walton: $10,400
• Sean Parker, Facebook co-founder: $10,400
• Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump: 10,400
• Marc Andreessen, Netscape founder: $10,400
• Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump’s husband: $10,400
• Victor Scudiery, Monmouth County Democrats head: $10,400
• David Greenspan - president, Slate Path Capital: $10,400
• J.J. Abrams, “Lost’’ creator: $10,400
• Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder: $10,200
• Michael Sean Bailey, Walt Disney executive: $10,200
• Donald R. Katz, audible.com CEO: $10,200.
• Rich Barton, founder of Zillow - $5,200
• Howard Lutnick, CEO Cantor Fitzgerald: $5,200
• Chris Hughes, publisher of The New Republic: $5,200
• Ben Affleck, actor: $5,000
• Jennifer Garner, actress: $5,000
• Paul Anka, entertainer: $5,000
• Michael Eisner, former head of Walt Disney: $5,000
• David Geffen, founder Geffen Records: $5,000
• Barry Gordy, founder Motown Records: $5,000
• David Sambol, former Countrywide president: $5,000
• Reed Hastings, CEO Netflix: $5,000
• Byron Allen, comedian and founder of Entertainment Studios: $5,000
• Heidi Lindelof: wife of “Lost’’ creator Damon Lindelof: $5,000
• Pfizer Inc. PAC - $5,000
• Steven Spielberg: $2,600
• Kate Capshaw-Spielberg: $2,600
• Hewlett Packard PAC: $2,600
• Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO: $2,600
• Henry Gates (Harvard professor at center of President Obama’s “Beer Summit’’: $1,000