In California, Hollywood stars and virtual meetings are a big hit for Joe Biden

Joe Biden shares a screen with George Clooney. His running mate Kamala Harris takes part in an online quiz alongside half a dozen actors from the Marvel saga.

Carried by Hollywood stars and a strong feeling of rejection against Donald Trump, the Democratic Party's fundraising for the election campaign, virtual because of the pandemic, reached new heights this year in California.

In this Democratic stronghold, the richest state in the country, Joe Biden outstripped his opponent by more than thirty points in the race for the White House, according to the latest polls.

Californians can't change the course of the November 3 election on their own with their ballots, but their financial donations carry weight nationally, and experts say they've never seen such celebrity activism.

"It's unbelievable. My mailbox is filled every day with messages from all the professionals in the entertainment industry: financial, creative... music, movies, television, everything," Bill Carrick, a Los Angeles-based strategy specialist for the Democratic Party, told AFP.

During the campaign, the actors of "Seinfeld", "Happy Days" and "The West Wing" organized meetings on the Internet, and all the Hollywood professions - writers, directors, producers, agents - are also involved, he says.

For example, tickets for a virtual discussion with Hillary Clinton, moderated by comedian Amy Schumer, reached $50,000 on Wednesday.

"The pandemic has created these virtual fundraisers, mainly on Zoom, and they are a huge success," Carrick says.

According to Steven Maviglio, a strategy expert in Sacramento, the Democratic Party in California has raised "nearly double what it did four years ago".

California "has always had the reputation of being a kind of cash machine," he explains. "But this year the candidates didn't really come out to events in person very much. It was the money that went to them.

Biden at the Oscars in 2016

California is Joe Biden's largest contributor: an estimated $105 to $150 million. This would represent about 20% of the total sum raised by his campaign committee, says the NGO Center for Responsive Politics (CRP).

By way of comparison, Donald Trump obtained about $60 million in the state.

With the exception of Silicon Valley and its technology firms, Hollywood remains "at the source of funding, with people who are passionate about politics" and "providential stars," says Maviglio.

Joe Biden also benefits from the strong contacts he made in Hollywood when he was a senator and then vice president. He even took the stage at the Oscars in 2016.

Steven Spielberg ($5.1 million) and actor-producer Seth MacFarlane ($3.6 million) are among the largest Democratic donors this year, according to CRP data.

Contrary to initial fears with the end of cocktail parties and gala dinners, the pandemic has not dried up fundraising. On the contrary, virtual events seem to have made things simpler for everyone, experts say.

Celebrities no longer have to juggle complicated filming schedules, or to pamper themselves or shake hundreds of hands. The same goes for rich donors, who can still meet their idols even if they no longer have access to autographs.

Hollywood is considered overwhelmingly progressive, and 88% of donations from the entertainment industry went to the Democrats this year, according to the CRP.

The bosses of the big studios have long financed Republicans, since MGM tycoon Louis B. Mayer in the 1920s to the close network woven in showbiz by President Ronald Reagan, himself a former actor.

But according to experts from both political camps interviewed by AFP, funding for Donald Trump is undeniably at half-mast.

Anne Dunsmore, who has been raising funds for the Republican Party for decades, believes that anti-racism protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement have boosted Democratic funding from Hollywood. Conversely, Republican donors have preferred to remain discreet in this context.

"It's possible in some cases," says Carrick. "But more importantly, they just don't like Trump's politics.