SFF as an appendage of empire: beginning to connect the dots
8 min readSep 17, 2021
A working list of science fiction, fantasy, & speculative fiction (SFF) authors with a history of publicly supporting the u.s. democratic party.
Why this list?
We hope to spark critical thinking among SFF fans who support anti-oppression politics about the connections between the [mainstream] publishing industry & those who ruthlessly exploit the world. We would also be happy to inspire similar work identifying patterns like these in other imperialist countries, or deeper research exploring support beyond votes & open campaign activity.
(We are not tracking supporters of the republican party here because we are assuming the intended audience of this post takes for granted the assumption that ties to republicans are problematic.)
- John Wiswell: supported the presidential campaigns of Elizabeth Warren, then Joe Biden, in 2020 [Twitter]
- G. Willow Wilson: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Connie Willis: over $10,000(!) in contributions to Democratic campaigns, including Barack Obama’s 2008 & 2012 runs for president, Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Django Wexler: donated to a wide range of Democrats in 2017 [Federal Election Commission]
- Chuck Wendig: endorsed Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign [personal blog]
- Martha Wells: voted Warren then Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Elizabeth Wein: various donations to Democratic Party campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- K.B. Wagers: donated to various Democrats, including Liz Warren & Julián Castro’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Carrie Vaughn: numerous campaign donations, including Warren & Biden’s 2020 presidential runs [Federal Election Commission]
- Jeff VanderMeer: voted Hillary 2016 [Twitter]
- Eric Van Lustbader: supported Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Catherynne M. Valente: lifelong democrat [Twitter]
- Michael R. Underwood: over 150 donations to Democratic Party campaigns, including Bernie Sanders' 2016 & 2020 runs for president [Federal Election Commission]
- Harry Turtledove: obnoxious support for Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Michi Trota: supported Warren, then Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Paul G. Tremblay: various donations to Democratic campaigns including Bernie 2016 & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Ian Tregillis: over $30,000(!!!) in donations to Democrats, including Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Patrick S. Tomlinson: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Amy Tintera: financial contributor to Julián Castro & Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Sheree Renée Thomas: donated to Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Emily Thiede: many donations to Democratic campaigns, including Warren & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Sabaa Tahir: gave more than $400 to Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- R.L. Stine: gave $4,600 to the Obama 2008 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Ferrett Steinmetz: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Joan Slonczewski: over $8,500(!) in donations to Democratic campaigns, including Obama in 2008 & Howard Dean in 2004 [Federal Election Commission]
- Elsa Sjunneson: campaigned for Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Adam Silvera: $1,290 given to Democratic campaigns, including Warren & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Peng Shepherd: various 2020 donations to Democrats, including Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Neil Sharpson: supported Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- Nadia Shammas: donated to the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Victoria/V.E. Schwab: harangued people to vote Democrat 2012 & 2016 [Twitter]
- Eliot Schrefer: gave over $3,000 to Democratic campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- John Scalzi: endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 [personal blog]
- Erica L. Satifka: donated to Democratic campaigns including Bernie 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Alexandra Rowland: supported Elizabeth Warren 2020 [Twitter]
- Patrick Rothfuss: over $1,500 in Democratic campaign donations, including Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Veronica Roth: over $1,800 in donations to Democratic candidates & causes [Federal Election Commission]
- Kim Stanley Robinson: headlined a fundraising event for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign [Twitter]
- Rick Riordan: gave almost $350 to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- M. L. Rio: donor to various Democratic campaigns, including Warren & Biden’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Anne Rice: gave $3,000 to Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Arula Ratnakar: donated to Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential run [Federal Election Commission]
- Cat Rambo: donated to Biden 2020 & other Democratic campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Aimee Pokwatka: donations include $100 to the Warren 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Fred Pohl: donated $1,000 to his wife Betty Hull’s 1996 Congressional campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Sarah Pinsker: volunteered for Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- Marge Piercy: over $4,300 in donations to Democratic campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Diana L. Paxson: numerous donations to Democrats, including Kamala Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Ada Palmer: over 1,000(!) contributions to Democratic campaigns & causes, including both Biden & Warren’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Margaret Owen: donations to Democrats including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Claribel A. Ortega: numerous donations to Democrats in 2020, including the Warren 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Malka Older: donations to Democratic campaigns, including Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Daniel José Older: supported Hillary 2020 [Twitter]
- Nnedi Okorafor: lots of vote-shaming in favor of Democrats [Twitter]
- Scott Oden: one of those “vote blue no matter who” types [Twitter]
- Naomi Novik: supported Hillary Clinton in 2020 [Twitter]
- Annalee Newitz: donated to Jaime Harrison’s 2020 senate campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Vera Nazarian: donated to several different Democratic Party candidates' 2020 campaigns, including Joe Biden’s [Federal Election Commission]
- Linda Nagata: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Ilana C. Myer: multiple donations to Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Cass Morris: donated to Kirsten Gillibrand & Liz Warren’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Sunny Moraine: Biden advocacy throughout 2020 [Twitter]
- Elizabeth Moon: over $49,000(!!!) given to Democrats & VoteVets, including Obama 2012 & the 2020 presidential campaigns of Biden, Harris, & Warren [Federal Election Commission]
- Laura J. Mixon: numerous donations to Democrats, including the Howard Dean, Barack Obama (2008), & Joe Biden presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Sam J. Miller: gave $200 to Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Lincoln Michel: gave $25 to Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Beth Meacham: supported Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- Maureen McHugh: assorted donations to Democrats [Federal Election Commission]
- Arkady Martine: supported Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 candidacy [Twitter]
- George R. R. Martin: endorsed Joe Biden as soon as he announced his candidacy in 2019 [personal blog]
- Shelby Mahurin: voted Biden 2020 [Instagram]
- Catherine Lundoff: numerous Democratic campaign donations, including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Marie Lu: over $13,000(!) contributed to democratic campaigns, most prominently Hillary 2016 [Federal Election Commission]
- Lois Lowry: thousands of dollars given to Democratic candidates [Federal Election Commission]
- Marina Lostetter: supported Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 campaign [Twitter]
- Ben Loory: several donations to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in 2021 [Federal Election Commission]
- Marissa Lingen: supported Liz Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign [Twitter]
- Jeannie Lin: voted for & donated to Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Jonathan Lethem: long time donor to Democratic Party candidates, including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, & Bernie Sanders [Federal Election Commission]
- Victoria Lee: voted for Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Ann Leckie: donated $100 to u.s. army soldier & bureaucrat Mark Osmack [Federal Election Commission]
- Ursula K. Le Guin: donations to Democratic campaigns, including John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Victor LaValle: supported Elizabeth Warren in 2020 [Twitter]
- Mur Lafferty: supported the Democrats in 2020 [Twitter]
- Jordan Kurella: donated to the Liz Warren 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Naomi Kritzer: over 100 donations to various Democrat causes & electoral campaigns since 2016 [Federal Election Commission]
- Matthew Kressel: donated to Pete Buttigieg (lol) & Joe Biden’s 2020 campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Mary Robinette Kowal: voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 [Twitter]
- TJ Klune: supported Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- Marko Kloos: Buttigieg & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Rosemary Kirstein: Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Margaret Killjoy: justified voting Biden 2020 with lesser evilism [Twitter]
- Justin C. Key: voted Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- Sim Kern: voted & advocated for Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Richard Kadrey: supported Cory Booker and Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- N. K. Jemisin: voted for Barack Obama in 2008 & 2012; Joe Biden in 2020 [Twitter]
- John Hornor Jacobs: donations to Dems including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Sarah Hollowell: donations to 2020 Democratic campaigns, including Liz Warren’s presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Amanda Hocking: supported Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Glen Hirshberg: donations to Democratic campaigns, including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Donna Herren (of Kit Rocha): multiple donations to the Biden 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Grady Hendrix: donor to various Dem campaigns including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Alix E. Harrow: voted for Obama twice (would vote for him a third time if she could) [Twitter]
- Jason Gurley: gave $135 to Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Nicola Griffith: endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 [personal blog]
- Christie Golden: over 100 donations to Democratic Party campaigns, including Hillary 2016 & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Max Gladstone: voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 [Twitter]
- Laura Anne Gilmam: multiple donations to Warren & Biden’s 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Chad Gayle: Democratic campaign donations including Obama 2008/2012, Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Neil Gaiman: more than $500 in donations to Democrats [Federal Election Commission]
- Cornelia Funke: over $83,000(!!!) in financial support to Democrats, including Barack Obama & Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Eric Flint: dozens of donations to Democratic campaigns, including Bernie 2016 [Federal Election Commission]
- Raymond E. Feist: over $7,000(!) in donations to Democrats, including Barack Obama & Joe Biden’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Kelley Eskridge: voted Hillary 2016 [Instagram]
- Kate Elliott: endorsed Biden/Harris 2020 [Twitter]
- R. K. Duncan: condescending “shut up & vote" commentary for Joe Biden in 2020 [Twitter]
- Tananarive Due: dozens of donations to Democrats, including Obama & Biden’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Katharine Duckett: gave $80 to Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Diane Duane: Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Ryan Douglass: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Cory Doctorow: over $14,000(!) in donations to Democrats, including presidential campaigns for Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, & Elizabeth Warren [Federal Election Commission]
- Jason Denzel: gave money to Warren & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Susan Dennard: donor to Democratic campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Juliana Delgado Lopera: donated to the Warren & Sanders 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- James S. A. Corey: voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, Joe Biden in 2020 [Twitter]
- Matthew Cody: dozens of donations to the Biden 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- P. Djèlí Clark: campaigned for Obama in 2008 & 2012 [Twitter]
- Mike Chen: frequent Biden/Harris advocacy 2020 [Twitter]
- Traci Chee: donations to Democrats including Warren & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Monica Byrne: donated to Elizabeth Warren & Julián Castro’s 2020 presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Octavia Butler: donated to Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Stephanie Burgis: happily voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- Emma Bull: donations to Democrats in 2016, including the Bernie Sanders campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Tobias S. Buckell: various Dem donations including Obama for America & Biden for President [Federal Election Commission]
- Alex Brown: voted Biden 2020 [Twitter]
- adrienne maree brown: longtime Democrat [Wikipedia]
- Terry Brooks: almost $10,000(!) in donations to Democrats, including John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Jordanna Max Brodsky: over $990 to Denocrats, including Hillary Clinton in 2016 as well as Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, & Joe Biden in 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- David Brin: over $5,000(!) in donations to the Democrats, including Bill Clinton & Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Peter V. Brett: over $3,400 in campaign donations, including Warren & Biden’s 2020 campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Alan Brennert: dozens of donations to Democrats, including Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Gregory Norman Bossert: contributed to various Democratic election campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Holly Black: donations to Dems including Warren & Biden’s 2020 presidential runs [Federal Election Commission]
- Matt Bell: volunteered for the Biden/Harris 2020 campaign [Twitter]
- Bradley P. Beaulieu / Brendan P. Bellecourt: campaign donations including Obama 2008 & Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Elizabeth Bear: voted for Obama in 2012, Warren then Biden in 2020 [Twitter]
- Leigh Bardugo: over $7,100 in donations to Democratic Party efforts [Federal Election Commission]
- Josiah Bancroft: obnoxious vote-shamer [Twitter]
- Pablo Bacigalupi: voted for Obama in 2012 [Twitter]
- Sarah Avery: gave $70 to the Warren 2020 campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Zack Argyle: gave $100 to the Andrew Yang presidential campaign [Federal Election Commission]
- Katherine Arden: numerous donations to Biden 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Katherine / K. A. Applegate: over $42,000(!!!) in donations to Democrats, including Warren 2020 [Federal Election Commission]
- Kathi Appelt: almost $15,000(!) given to Dems, including the Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, & Joe Biden presidential campaigns [Federal Election Commission]
- Saladin Ahmed: voted for Biden 2020 [Twitter]
