Colman Domingo to Appear at the Democratic National Committee’s Upcoming Pride Celebration Fundraiser

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Colman Domingo is celebrating Pride with the DNC…

The 51-year-old Guatemalan American actor will take part in a special Pride Celebration fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee next week.

Vice President Kamala Harris will headline the event, which will include a number of performances and an introduction by Barbra Streisand.

The DNC traditionally hosts a Pride month event, but the fundraiser also speaks to the desire among party activists to have a large war chest heading into next year’s midterms.

The performers on the bill for the virtual event on June 30 include Andra Day, Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth and Melissa Etheridge.

In addition to Domingo, other stars making appearances include Andy Cohen, George Takei, Matt Bomer and Whoopi Goldberg.

Tickets to the event start at $50, and rise to $20,000 for a co-host designation and access to a VIP “clutch.” Those who write or raise $40,000 will get a host designation and access to the clutch. The New York Times first reported on the event.

The DNC raised $12.1 million in May, according to reports to the Federal Election Commission, while the Republican National Committee raised about $11.1 million. Those are hefty sums for an off-year period and, according to Bloomberg News, a record amount.

Last year, as the pandemic prevented in-person fundraising, Democrats capitalized on the ease of holding virtual events, both in drawing talent and in bringing in greater numbers of small-dollar donors.

Henry R. Muñoz III Acquires Funny or Die

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Henry R. Muñoz III is preparing for a little funny business…

The 61-year-old Latino designer, activist and philanthropist has acquired early digital video player Funny or Die.

Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Judd Apatow and Chris Henchy co-founded Funny or Die in 2007. Ferrell and McKay appeared in one of the company’s first breakout clips, The Landlord.

Muñoz bought Funny Or Die from its former stakeholders, a group that included AMC Networks, Turner Entertainment and Sequoia Capital. Ferrell will continue to collaborate creatively with Funny Or Die and serve as an advisor.

Muñoz be sole owner of the Funny Or Die brand, and the acquisition also includes its library, longform slate and social media portfolio of more than 40 million followers.

Financial terms for the transaction were not disclosed.

After the transaction, Muñoz will become chairman of Funny or Die. Mike Farah will continue as CEO. Michele Rosette, who has been the CFO of Funny Or Die since 2016, will remain in her role. Joe Farrell, who oversees Funny Or Die’s longform slate, has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer.

From its roots in short-form, viral video, Funny or Die has evolved into a supplier of series like Brockmire, whose run on IFC ended last year, and this year’s History of Swear Words on Netflix.

Other credits include true crime docuseries For Heaven’s Sake on Paramount + and the Feeding America Comedy Special for NBC.

The pivot followed challenges in recent years as smaller video purveyors have faced daunting economics when reckoning with the forces of tech giants like YouTube and Facebook. Like many digital outlets, Funny or Die had to lay off staff and restructure as it navigated the 2010s.

The arrival of Muñoz will enable the company to deficit-finance certain projects, the company said, promising to reveal more specifics about that strategy at a later date.

A CBS special produced by Funny or Die last fall connected the company with Muñoz and wound up leading to the acquisition. Essential Heroes: A Momento Latino Event, hosted by Eva Longoria, Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan, celebrated America’s diversity with a focus on Latinx culture and highlighted the impact of Covid-19.

Muñoz has operated at high levels in the realms of politics, art, business, public affairs and philanthropy. In addition to his own design practice, he has launched national movements including Momento Latino, TheDream.US and Latino Victory in support of the Latinx community. He is the cofounder of SOMOS US, a healthcare network in New York treating largely immigrant communities. It has been on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic.

His design firm, Muñoz & Company, is one of the largest and oldest minority-owned design practices in the country. It pioneered an approach to architecture, urban planning, and design that acknowledges the imprint of the Latino community. He also helped with the effort to create a Latino Museum on the Mall in Washington, DC, and is the Finance Chairman Emeritus of the Democratic National Committee, the first openly gay, openly Latino and openly Texan person to hold that position.

“The future of comedy and entertainment is in companies that empower talent and creative forces to make content that reflects the cultural identity of our country at this moment in our history,” Muñoz said in the official deal announcement. “Funny Or Die’s own rich history as a place of innovation and as a voice of new generations speaks for itself and our team led by Mike Farah is poised to seize this unique moment. I understand the responsibilities of owning a brand like Funny Or Die and I am excited to work with our team to make sure we have the resources we need to develop funny, original and diverse new content.”

He went on to note the importance of his sole ownership of the company. “I also understand the importance of being one of the very few Latinos in a position like this in the entertainment industry and I will do my best to make my community, our industry and our country proud as we move forward,” he added. Diversity and inclusion will be more central to the company’s mission moving forward, he noted.

Farah said Muñoz’s “unique background in social activism and business” makes him the “perfect person to guide FOD into the future.” He added, “The company is in great hands with Henry, and he’s brought a new sense of purpose to our mission to empower original, authentic creators in comedy and beyond.”

Xavier Becerra Emerges as Contender to Lead Department of Health and Human Services

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Xavier Becerra could be heading to The District in the coming year…

The 62-year-old Mexican American politician and current California Attorney General has emerged as a key contender to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, according to sources familiar with the process, as President-elect Joe Biden weighs who to tap for a role that will be critical to his administration’s efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The HHS secretary position has been a source of intrigue and confusion this week, with New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo being mentioned as contenders. Raimondo has said she’s no longer a candidate and Lujan Grisham’s status is now unclear.

But on Friday people close to the matter said Becerra has emerged as a “contender of interest” for the post. He’s also a top candidate for attorney general.

Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has also been mentioned as a potential pick to lead Health and Human Services, but the sources said she is being eyed for other posts as well.

News of Becerra’s emergence comes as Biden faces increasing pressure to deliver on his promise to build out a diverse Cabinet. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus has said it wants Lujan Grisham to be Biden’s HHS secretary and has pushed Biden to select Becerra or Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez as attorney general. Members of the caucus expressed frustration in a meeting with leaders of Biden’s transition team on Thursday over how they believe Lujan Grisham has been treated in the Cabinet selection process.

Bottom of Form

Incoming White House press secretary Jen Psaki said earlier Friday that the transition team will announce key members of the President-elect’s health team early next week.

Tom Perez to Appear on Politico’s New Streaming Series “Plug In with Playbook”

Posted on August 6, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Tom Perez is getting Politico…

The 58-year-old Dominican American politician, attorney and current chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), will appear on Politico’s new streaming series, which is tied to its popular Playbook newsletter and franchise.

Politico’s Plug In with Playbook will be streamed at 9:00 AM ET each morning from the Democratic National Convention and the Republican National Convention.

The Democrats’ convention will begin on August 17, and Republicans’ convention will launch a week later, on August 24.

Plans for the show will move forward even though both conventions will be virtual.

On Wednesday, Democrats announced that Joe Biden would no longer travel to Milwaukee to deliver his acceptance speech and instead would do so from his home state of Delaware.

Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, co-authors of Playbook, will anchor the 45-minute show, with plans to interview politicians and party insiders.

In addition to Perez, guests for the DNC include convention CEO Joe Solmonese, Biden campaign senior adviser Symone Sanders, and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who was the vice presidential nominee in 2016.

Kevin McLaughlin, executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is one of the guests so far during the week of the GOP convention.

Plug In with Playbook also will feature “deep-dive political segments and conversations with Politico journalists, as well as analysis of down-ballot races and a look at this cycle’s swing states. The show may continue at key moments during the campaign.

The show will be live-streamed on Politico’s conventions hub, with a link on Politico’s homepage.

Monica Hernandez to Moderate the Next Democratic Presidential Debate

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Monica Hernandezis getting political…

The Latina broadcast journalist and WMUR-TV anchor/reporter will serve as a moderator at the next Democratic presidential debate, alongside ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos, World News Tonight’s David Muir, ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis, and WMUR-TV’s Adam Sexton.

The debate is set for February 7 at 8:00 pm ET in Manchester, New Hampshire, wedged between the Iowa Caucusesfour days before and the New Hampshire primary four days after.

The eighth debate of the primary cycle is hosted by ABC News, WMUR-TV and Apple News. It is set at St. Anselm Collegein Manchester and will air on ABC, Hearst Television’s WMUR-TV, Apple News and on ABC News Live.

So far, all six of the candidates who qualified for the previous debate – Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer and Elizabeth Warren— appear to have met the fundraising and polling thresholds to qualify for the debate. Another way in per Democratic National Committeerules would be to score a pledged delegate in Iowa.

The qualifying criteria involving grassroots fundraising (225,000 individual donors with 1,000 unique donors or more per state) likely will keep out candidate Michael Bloomberg, who is self-financing.

The previous debate hosted by CNNat Drake Universityin Des Moines, Iowa on January 14 drew an estimated 7.3 million viewers, a slight uptick from the 6.17 million who watched the debate in December, sponsored by PBSand Politico, and the 6.5 million who watched November’s event, hosted by MSNBC.

The New Hampshire debate is the second of four in each of the key voting states. Next up is February 19 in Las Vegas, hosted by NBC News and MSNBC with The Nevada Independent, and February 25 in in Charleston, SC, hosted by CBS News, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and Twitter.

Perez: First Latino Chairman of the Democratic National Committee

Posted on February 26, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

The United States has its first Latino Democratic Party chairman… And, his name is Tom Perez.

The 55-year-old Dominican American politician, consumer advocate, and civil rights lawyer, a former Labor Secretary, beat out Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison a hotly contested race to lead the Democratic Party as their new chairman, and their first-ever Latino leader, on Saturday.

Perez defeated Ellison in a 235-200 vote among the Democratic National Committee‘s 435 members who cast ballots Saturday.

It took two rounds of voting to select a winner after Perez found himself just one vote shy in the first ballot. The five other candidates, who had amassed 13.5 total votes, all exited the race before the second round began.

In a victory speech, Perez vowed that Democrats would wage an all-out battle to deny Trump a second term.

“We are at a ‘where were you?’ moment in American history: Where were you in 2017 when we had the worst President in US history?” he said.

Immediately after winning, Perez made a quick move to bring Ellison’s supporters into the fold — appointing Ellison as the deputy chair of the DNC, to cheers and unanimous approval from the crowd.

Ellison called on Democrats to support Perez.

“It’s my honor to serve this party under the chairmanship of Tom Perez,” he said.

The results brought a chaotic close to a race that stretched on for three months. In the waning days, former Vice President Joe Biden and several aides to former President Barack Obama — including Valerie Jarrett and David Simas — made calls to undecided members in an effort to sway them toward Perez.

In Ellison’s camp, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and supportive members of Congress applied pressure on DNC members with phone calls.

Obama touted what he said was the party’s track record of expanding the economy, creating new jobs, keeping Americans safe through “tough, smart” foreign policy, and expanding the right to health insurance.

“That’s a legacy the Democratic Party will always carry forward,” Obama said. “I know that Tom Perez will unite us under that banner of opportunity, and lay the groundwork for a new generation of Democratic leadership for this big, bold, inclusive, dynamic America we love so much.”

In a tweet, Hillary Clinton congratulated Perez and Ellison, writing: “Excited for strong, unified party standing for best of our country into the future.”

Perez, a Maryland Democrat who worked in Obama’s Justice Department before serving as labor secretary and making Clinton’s short list for the vice presidential nomination, made overtures to Ellison’s backers in his nomination speech before the votes were cast.

“Good leaders are great listeners. You will always have my ear, and I will always have your back,” Perez told the crowd, promising to “plan strategy together, lift each other up together.”

“You will not be underutilized,” he said. “You are of import in everything we do. The most important question you will hear from me is, ‘What do you think?'”

Perez Inching Closer to Clinching Democratic Party Chair Position

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Tom Perez is one step closer to leading…

The 55-year-old American politician, consumer advocate and civil rights lawyer moved closer to clinching the race to chair the Democratic Party after one of his competitors dropped out and endorsed the former labor secretary — shaking up the contest two days before the election.

South Carolina Democratic Party chairman Jaime Harrison emailed Democratic National Committee members Thursday to say he is dropping out and backing Perez, who was the United States Secretary of Labor from 2013 to 2017.

Harrison was a distant contender — far behind Perez and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison. “In a former job, I whipped votes for House Democrats. I know what a path to victory looks like,” Harrison said in his email, acknowledging he couldn’t win.

But with both Perez and Ellison within striking distance of the majority of the DNC‘s 447 voting members, Harrison’s support could push Perez over the edge — and make Harrison the kingmaker.

Vote-counting is nebulous, since some DNC members have not revealed their plans even privately, and there’s no reason those who have committed to support one candidate couldn’t change their minds at the last minute.

But a source close to Perez said Thursday that Harrison had about 30 supporters, and about 20 were expected to now back Perez. The source said Perez already had about 200 supporters — but cautioned that Saturday’s proceedings are hard to predict.

With several of the DNC’s 447 membership slots vacant, 442 DNC members are eligible to vote Saturday. If all do so, it will take 222 votes to win.

Harrison’s move comes days after New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley dropped out and endorsed Ellison.

A Perez spokeswoman said Harrison did not receive any commitment for a specific role within the party in exchange for his support.

“Every person who knows Jaime Harrison will say he is one of the smartest, most dedicated, and genuine leaders we know,” Perez said in a statement. “Simply put, he’s one of a kind. Jaime’s commitment to the party is like no other and I’m proud to have his support as we both work together to invest in state parties, turnaround the DNC, and get back to winning.”

Harrison’s exit leaves South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Idaho Democratic Party executive director Sally Boynton Brown likely vying for third place, each with what Democrats tracking the race say are about 10 votes in their favor.

Buttigieg had hoped to emerge as the balloting went on Saturday in Atlanta. But the increasingly narrowing field before the election means the race could end too quickly for a third option to break out.

Huizar to Host Fundraising Event for Hillary Clinton

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Jose Huizar is ready to play host…

The Mexican politican, who currently served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council, will host a fundraising event for Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton during her return trip to Southern California on Cinco de Mayo (May 5).

Clinton was in Los Angeles last weekend for a series of events, including a campaign speech at Los Angeles Southwest College and a series of fundraisers.

The highest profile was a gathering at the Studio City home of George and Amal Clooney, with the money raised going to the Hillary Victory Fund. That is a joint fundraising committee that splits proceeds between the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state party committees.

Huizar was elected to the Los Angeles City Council’s 14th District in 2005 and re-elected in 2007, 2011 and in what will be his final term, 2015.

Rodriguez to Host Democratic National Committee Fundraiser with President Barack Obama

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Robert Rodriguez is preparing for a presidential experience…

The award-winning Mexican-American filmmaker will host President Barack Obama at his home in Austin, Texas, on July 17 to raise money for the Democratic National Committee‘s midterm election efforts, according to The Hollywood Reporter .

Rodriguez, whose cult classic El Mariachi was selected in 2011 for preservation in the National Film Registry, is the latest in a growing number of Hollywood Latinos throwing their money and influence behind the Democratic Party.

Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Demi Lovato and Danny Trejo are among those who’ve signed on to support the event. Tickets for the Austin fundraiser range from $5,000 to $32,400.

Obama and Rodriguez – the founder of the El Rey Network – first met in 2012, when the filmmaker traveled to Washington to speak with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute about the importance of diversifying the distribution networks.

While there, Obama invited Rodriguez to participate in a roundtable discussion about the importance of Hispanics in the U.S.

Since then, Rodriguez has emerged as a strong advocate of Latino issues in the country

Following his film debut with El Mariachi, Rodriguez has helped launch the film careers of several prominent Latino actors and actresses, including Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek andAlba. His insistence on casting a Latino family for the popular Spy Kids series built the first major theatrical family franchise featuring Latinos in heroic roles.

Hinojosa Becomes Texas Democrats’ First Latino Chairman

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Gilberto Hinojosa has made history in the Lone Star State…

The 59-year-old Mexican American politician has become the first Latino elected by the Texas Democrats to the state’s chairman’s position, a move indicating the party intends to play a bigger role in the Republican-dominated state.

Hinojosa, a former judge, county party leader and member of the Democratic National Committee, was overwhelmingly chosen to lead the party for the next two years by delegates on the last day of the state convention in Houston. He’ll replace Boyd Richie, who has led the party since 2006.

The Mission-native takes over a party that hasn’t won a statewide election since 1994 and doesn’t control either chamber of the Texas Legislature. But the state’s evolving demographics favor Democrats, with non-Hispanic whites now making up less than 50 percent of the population. In the 2010 election, more than 85 percent of minorities voted Democratic.

“We as a party need to realize that there are more of us than there are of them,” said Hinojosa. “We believe that everyone in this great state deserves an equal chance … and we can only do that if we win elections.”

Fort Worth state Rep. Marc Veasey, currently in a runoff for a Democratic nomination to Congress, welcomed Hinojosa as someone who had experience working at the national level and at organizing the grassroots of the party.

“His election is historic and besides that, Gilberto is a good guy,” Veasey said. “He is a coalition builder; he gets along with a broad group of people.”

Hinojosa has promised to change the math on Texas elections. In the May 29 primary vote, twice as many Republicans cast ballots as Democrats, but, overall, less than 20 percent of registered voters showed up. Turnout among Texas Hispanics has never matched that in other states with significant Latino populations.

“There is no independent issue out there that has caused this to happen,” Hinojosa said. “They are not going to go out and vote for anybody if they are not engaged, no matter how dynamic of a leader you’ve got running … as a party we have to engage them and offer strong candidates.”

Hinojosa was the first in his family to attend college at the University of Texas-Pan American and graduated from Georgetown University Law School.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Democratic National Committee