As the 2020 Democratic Primary heats up just days away from the Iowa caucus, so too have marquee celebrity endorsements for the packed presidential candidate field. In a shock to pretty much no one, musicians like Ben Harper and Mandy Moore are all-in for Pete Buttigieg; John Legend supports Elizabeth Warren; and Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo is a member of the Yang Gang because of course, he is.
But more than his competitors, Senator Bernie Sanders has racked up an astounding number of endorsements from artists across every spectrum, including genre, level of success, and age. A truly impressive, iPhone-filling roster of talent has embraced 78-year-old Sanders’ democratic socialist platform.
Videos by VICE
While Sanders just held a rally with indie rock mainstays Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend—and today announced another event with the recently reunited Strokes—his support isn’t limited to Pitchfork-approved acts. In fact, mainstream titans like Ariana Grande, T.I., and Miley Cyrus have all posted endorsements of his platform. Additionally, artists on the fringes of success have come out in droves to endorse the 78-year-old Vermont senator; earlier this month, a 20-song compilation from bands like Strange Ranger, Frankie Cosmos, Shady Bug, and many more was uploaded to Bandcamp with the proceeds directly supporting Sanders’ campaign.
Those acts are just a small slice of the indie, D.I.Y., and working-class musicians who have recently voiced their support for the 2020 presidential election. Evan Weiss, whose pop-punk band Pet Symmetry opened a recent Iowa Sanders rally, told Mother Jones, “He’s definitely the most punk-adjacent of the candidates. His messaging is all about community. It feels like he’s one of us. He’ll wax poetic about not being a Washington insider ’till the cows come home and that really resonates with us.”
Below, an exhaustive and hyperlinked list of the most notable acts to come out in favor of Sanders’ campaign.
Artists Who Have Publicly Supported Bernie:
Alex Ebert (Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros)
Ben Blackwell (The Dirtbombs)
Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms)
John DeDomenici (Jeff Rosenstock)
Max Bemis (Say Anything)
Nicholas Petricca (Walk the Moon)
Noelle Scaggs (Fitz & The Tantrums)
Residente (Calle 13)
Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz / Sad13)
Serj Tankian (System of a Down)
Stephen Malkmus (Pavement)
