In The Know

‘Queer Eye’ star Jonathan Van Ness to campaign with Warren in Iowa

“Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness said Thursday he will join Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on the presidential campaign trail this month in Iowa, just weeks ahead of the state’s Feb. 3 caucuses.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to do everything I can to help her win,” Van Ness wrote in an email to Warren supporters. “That’s why I’m joining Elizabeth to campaign for big, structural change in Iowa this month.”

The email did not offer details about Van Ness’s upcoming campaign appearances. The Hill has reached out to Warren’s campaign for comment. 

An Iowa State University–Civiqs poll released last month shows Warren at 18 percent, trailing former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Van Ness endorsed Warren in September, citing the cost of his HIV medication.

“The moment I knew I was endorsing Elizabeth Warren was last month when I misplaced my HIV meds,” Van Ness tweeted at the time. “It cost $3500 to replace them out of pocket with ‘amazing’ plantinum [sic] level insurance. Healthcare shouldn’t be for-profit ever, it’s a human right.”

The Netflix star has been very public about his involvement in politics over the past year. In September, he met with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to discuss the Equality Act, which would codify civil rights protections for LGBT people.

Earlier in 2019, Van Ness and some of his fellow “Queer Eye” cast members met with Pelosi and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Van Ness is the latest high-profile celebrity to lend their support to Warren. U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe last month announced in an Instagram post that she was backing Warren.