Consultant Ro Khanna, who represents California’s seventeenth congressional district, held a fundraiser with Paris Hilton and Joseph Gordon-Levitt on Could 28, The Hollywood Reporter has solely discovered.
Khanna, a Democrat, is at present looking for reelection for his seat, competing towards 26-year-old Republican candidate Anita Chen within the upcoming November election.
He was launched to Hilton a number of years in the past. The congressman tells THR he has had a “lengthy friendship” with Hilton’s husband Carter Reum, the co-founder of the technology-focused enterprise capital agency M13. Khanna mentioned Reum is “one of the vital progressive expertise leaders and traders within the nation.”
A few years in the past, Khanna met with Hilton relating to her long-standing push for extra oversight of abusive youth facilities. The heiress and actuality TV character has been vocal about her time at a “troubled teen” heart in Utah, alleging in her memoir that she was overwhelmed a number of occasions, “digitally” raped, verbally harassed by employees and extra throughout her time on the college.
In April 2023, Khanna, together with 4 different representatives, launched the bipartisan “Cease Institutional Baby Abuse Act.” The invoice “would supply higher oversight and knowledge transparency for institutional youth remedy packages, start implementing pressing suggestions to develop sturdy data sharing techniques amongst states and promote dissemination of greatest practices for figuring out and stopping institutional baby abuse.”
“I used to be so moved by Paris’ dedication,” Khanna tells THR about Hilton’s work within the area, noting that he met her household, others in her group and victims. “I noticed the eagerness about how she cared about survivors.”
Requested how his get together can win votes in 2024, Khanna emphasizes the significance of “cultural influencers” in attempting to succeed in voters, significantly younger voters, recognizing that “we’re dwelling in a special second” with the prevalence of social media.
The congressman additionally touts the significance of his get together harnessing the “unimaginable storytellers” in Hollywood “to assist the Democratic get together get our message out on this election and to encourage younger voters.”
“I simply suppose we have to look to the storytellers in Hollywood for far more than cash,” Khanna says. “What we have to take a look at them for is their creativeness, their capacity to do artistic movies, their social media following, their capacity to encourage … and that I believe is the true asset for the progressive motion and the Democratic get together.”
Khanna’s district consists of Silicon Valley. When requested how he thinks Democrats can acquire assist within the expertise area, he says, “I believe what the Democrats must say is that, ‘We’re the get together that’s going to carry entrepreneurship and innovation and expertise alternatives to each a part of this nation,’” including that Democratic insurance policies “have helped seed Silicon Valley.”
The congressman additionally notes the more and more sturdy hyperlink between leisure and expertise, stating that there’s “now extra interconnection between Hollywood and Silicon Valley than ever earlier than,” utilizing Hilton and Reum as an emblem of that.
Amid the shut 2024 presidential race, which has seen many polls exhibiting Donald Trump forward of Joe Biden, the congressman underlines how necessary he feels it’s for the Democrats to take management of the Home of Representatives: “Having [Rep.] Hakeem Jeffries as speaker of the home is the last word insurance coverage coverage towards Donald Trump.”
Specifically, Khanna says he feels “optimistic” about Democrats successful again congressional seats in California and believes it’s additionally potential in New York, which supplies the get together a path to the bulk. For the Home particularly, Khanna feels that there are three main points for this election: the “insurance coverage coverage,” abortion rights and codifying Roe v. Wade, and financial coverage.
“Persons are determined to be impressed, and so they discover this election basically uninspiring,” Khanna says. “I believe that Hollywood will help us with what that inspiring story is that speaks to folks in an genuine, possible way. … The Democrats want the younger expertise immediately in Hollywood greater than ever.”