Liberal Hollywood activist Jane Fonda is using her political fundraising operation to help elect progressive Democrats across the country, pouring millions into congressional, state and local races ahead of November’s midterm elections.
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The 88-year-old actress’s Jane Fonda Climate PAC has raised approximately $8 million during the 2025-2026 election cycle, according to federal campaign finance filings cited by the New York Post.
The PAC has reported $3.4 million in direct political contributions, $228,000 in transfers to other committees and $1.8 million in operating expenses, while maintaining approximately $5 million in cash reserves.
Fonda, whose controversial 1972 visit to North Vietnam earned her the nickname “Hanoi Jane,” has spent decades championing liberal causes, including the Green New Deal and aggressive restrictions on fossil fuels.
Her PAC has distributed $5,000 contributions to several prominent progressive candidates, including Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, a leading architect of the Green New Deal.
Other beneficiaries include Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who was expelled from the state House following a gun control demonstration before being reinstated, and Michigan congressional candidate William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement.
Lawrence previously faced felony trespassing charges after chaining himself to an Enbridge Energy pipeline during a 2013 environmental protest.
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Fonda’s political spending extends beyond federal elections.
In Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County, her PAC contributed $40,000 during 2025 to support Democratic candidates who subsequently gained control of the county council.
The PAC says its mission is to “end the stranglehold the fossil fuel industry has on our lives and our planet by electing climate champions at the state and local level.”
Fonda has openly acknowledged the importance of targeting local elections, telling the Los Angeles Times that conservatives demonstrated how political influence could be built through state legislatures and county councils.
Her fundraising network has also attracted wealthy Democratic donors, including billionaire Tom Steyer, who reportedly contributed $310,000 before receiving Fonda’s endorsement in his unsuccessful California gubernatorial campaign.
With control of Congress at stake in November, Fonda’s multimillion-dollar political operation illustrates how progressive activists are investing heavily in elections far beyond Washington.
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