Viola Davis and Other ‘ShondaLand’ Stars Endorse Hillary Clinton For President

Shonda Rhimes is well known for casting a number of leading ladies in her hugely popular TV shows, often placed under the ShondaLand umbrella. Rhonda herself and a number of actresses from her shows, including Viola Davis and Kerry Washington, appeared in a campaign advert for Hillary Clinton, endorsing America’s leading lady for president.

In a move that’s sure to provide a serious boost for Hillary Clinton’s campaign, a video was recently released online featuring many of those aforementioned stars and more. The stars are, of course, well known for appearing in Shonda Rhimes’ shows, which are some of the most popular on television. This will be big news for Hillary Clinton, especially considering the influence that these names have over viewers.

.@shondarhimes @tonygoldwyn @kerrywashington @violadavis @ellenpompeo: Talk about a power lineup. Thank you for being on this team! -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 11, 2016

Fans of TV shows written by Shonda Rhimes, including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, will likely recognize many of the faces who make an appearance in the campaign advert. Fronting the campaign advert was Kerry Washington, who is known for her leading role as Olivia Pope in the hit political drama Scandal. Washington had a very clear message for viewers, saying that while their characters are on television, the real world has Hillary Clinton.

Also making an appearance in the campaign advert was Viola Davis, known for her role in How to Get Away with Murder. What’s more, the advert wouldn’t have been complete without an appearance from Shonda Rhimes herself, who has consistently been praised for her writing that often centers around strong female roles. Also worth mentioning is an appearance from Ellen Pompeo, who played a leading role in Rhimes’ original TV series Grey’s Anatomy. In all, it’s an exciting fusion for Rhimes fans.

One nice touch is the fact that the “I’m with Hillary” campaign ad was directed by Tony Goldwyn, who fans of Scandal will know for playing President Fitzgerald Grant. Goldwyn’s character is famously a Republican, along with his campaign manager and lover Olivia Pope, so seeing their actors endorsing a Democratic candidate is likely going to come as something of a surprise for viewers of Scandal. Despite the show being focused on the Republican Party and their struggle for power, it’s now pretty clear where Shonda Rhimes’ political affiliation lies following this recent campaign video.

That being said, Hillary Clinton doesn’t exactly need the endorsement of any more high-profile figures, as she’s already racked up support from both political and media figures from across the spectrum. Taking that into consideration, along with the fact that Hillary Clinton has considerable amounts of donations being pumped into her campaign, it’s becoming increasingly clear that she’ll scoop up the Democratic nomination.

Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, isn’t showing any sign of slowing down his campaign anytime soon, and he is continuing to battle Hillary Clinton at each and every primary election.

On the Republican side of the race, front-runner Donald Trump is picking up a few endorsements of his own, including most recently Ben Carson. Carson made the decision to drop out of the race for the Republican nomination and used that opportunity to publically endorse Donald Trump as the candidate he’s support for President of the United States.

It’s becoming more and more likely that we’ll see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump take each other on when the general election comes around in November. With that in mind, Clinton may need to call on some of those endorsees if she wants to stand any chance of taking on Donald Trump.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty images]