Hillary Clinton flew to California on Friday for a series of weekend fundraisers, including two events hosted by George and Amal Clooney.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign and supporters will be ready.
While Clinton attends an event with the famed actor and his wife, a human rights attorney, at the home of venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar, Sanders campaign announced Friday that they will run an ad in California titled “27” that goes after her for the big-dollar fundraiser. The number is a reference to the average donation to Sanders’ campaign, which he regularly touts on the campaign trail.
“If you can’t afford to attend tonight’s event with Secretary Clinton, we invite you to join Bernie’s fundraiser for the low price of turning on your television,” Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, said of the ad.
What’s more, upwards of 1,800 Sanders supporters have indicated on Facebook that they plan to protest outside Pishevar’s San Francisco home during the fundraiser.
The protesters said they plan on bringing pots and pans to bang during the event.
“Let the people of San Francisco gather and march through the main streets of Nob Hill to protest this event and to show Hillary Clinton that we don’t accept this kind of corruption,” reads a Facebook invite for the protests. “Rich people should not be allowed to buy politicians.”
Sanders’ campaign, which does most of its fundraising online, has long looked to turn Clinton’s reliance on in-person fundraisers into a liability, charging that the former secretary of state is disingenuous about campaign finance reform.
After the San Francisco event, Clinton and the Clooneys will travel to Los Angeles, where the actor will host guests at his Studio City home for another fundraiser on Saturday night.
Both of the Clinton-Clooney fundraisers benefit the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising effort that where proceeds benefit the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee and a host of state Democratic parties.
To co-host the event, a couple is asked to donate $353,400 to the joint fundraising effort. Single tickets cost $33,400.
Clinton backers have touted the events — and the fact Clinton is raising money for other Democrats — as a notable difference from Sanders, who has, to date, raised close to nothing for the party.
When asked at Thursday’s Democratic debate why he doesn’t raise money for the Democratic Party, Sanders argued he had “raised millions” for his Democratic colleagues in the Senate. That claim, however, was rated false by CNN’s Reality Check team.
“Hillary Clinton has made it a priority to raise money for Democrats up and down the ballot and we’re grateful to everyone who supports the party,” said Christina Reynolds, a Clinton campaign spokeswoman. “We frequently hear about how much money Senator Sanders is raising, maybe he can send a few of those $27 donations to the DNC and state parties across the country to help the party he hopes to lead.”
Clinton will also headline a fundraiser in Los Angeles’ Koreatown on Saturday.