James Murdoch and 87 other corporate leaders sign a letter endorsing Kamala Harris
CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA
- Eighty-eight current and former business and tech executives signed a letter endorsing Harris.
- Signatories span industries and political engagement, from veteran Harris allies to new supporters.
- The support comes as Harris and Trump both try to present themselves as the pro-business candidate.
Dozens of prominent Wall Street and tech executives combined forces on Friday morning to support Kamala Harris' bid for the White House. Eighty-eight top executives signed a joint letter endorsing the vice president, CNBC reported.
The signatories span political engagement, from longtime Democratic donors to people issuing their first public endorsement of Harris. James Murdoch, the former CEO of 21st Century Fox, broke even further away from his father by adding his name to the list.
Though the list of signatories is lengthy, the letter itself is a mere five sentences. Electing Harris is, the executives wrote, "the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy." They celebrated her record support of small businesses and said she would "continue to advance fair and predictable policies that support the rule of law, stability, and a sound business environment."
Current executives include Aaron Levie of Box and Jeremy Stoppelman of Yelp, as well as big names in the sports world. The NBA Hall of Famer and billionaire Magic Johnson signed on, so did Ted Leonsis, whose company owns the NBA's Washington Wizards and WNBA's Washington Mystics.
Some signatories, such as Murdoch and the Ripple Labs cofounder Chris Larsen, declared their support for Harris for the first time.
"Proud to support the Harris campaign — she's the right leader for our fast-changing world," Larsen told Business Insider in a statement. "And I'm confident that she will reset the misguided Biden policies that were too anti-business and anti-innovation. At the same time, I'm confident she will maintain Biden's strong leadership on our energy transition."
Larsen added that he recently donated $1 million in crypto to Future Forward, a PAC supporting Harris.
Other signatories have long rallied behind the vice president. Many know her from her days in California politics, which reflects how Harris is relying on her home state for support, financial and otherwise. The veteran Harris supporters include the philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs and the Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz.
Both coasts are well represented, with executives from Silicon Valley and Wall Street alike joining the effort. The angel investor Ron Conway, the entrepreneur Mark Cuban, and the LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman are among the biggest West Coast names, while former Blackstone President and CEO Tony James and the former Goldman Sachs executive Bruce Heyman hail from the world of New York finance.
Former executives at various prominent companies — including PepsiCo, Paramount, Lyft, and Starbucks — also signed on to endorse Harris.
The support from the business community comes at a crucial time, as both Harris and Trump are laying out their economic agendas ahead of Tuesday's debate. Both candidates are presenting themselves as the pro-business option while attempting to woo the financial and tech sectors.
Correction: September 6, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misdescribed Harris. She is the current US vice president, not a former vice president.