Cut off from some of his familiar sources by federal and state inquiries into his fund - raising practices, Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, and his campaign have been pounding the pavement for such contributions, and have leaned on some of the mayor's
celebrity backers like the actors Cynthia Nixon, Mark Ruffalo and Steve Buscemi.
Still, if you can swing it, nabbing a
celebrity endorsement or
backer, especially from a high - profile, savvy businessman
like Branson, is invaluable.