In 2011, Whitford spoke at a protest in his native Madison, Wisconsin, in opposition to
Governor Scott Walker's budget repair bill.
[46] Prior to the
2012 United States elections, Whitford and
Courage Campaign founder, Rick Jacobs, appeared together in a video about California's
Proposition 30 and
Proposition 32;
[47] the video encouraged viewers to vote "yes" on the former and "no" on the latter.
[48] Leading up to the
2014 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, Whitford visited multiple
University of Wisconsin System campuses in support of nominee
Mary Burke, who went on to lose against the incumbent, Governor Walker.
[49] Whitford supported
Hillary Clinton in the
2016 United States presidential election.
[50] He has been a vocal critic of
Donald Trump.
[51]
In 2019, he co-hosted a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate
Pete Buttigieg alongside actress
Gwyneth Paltrow as well as donated to Buttigieg's
2020 presidential campaign.
[52] Also in 2019, Whitford appeared in a public service announcement in support of abortion rights alongside other cast members of
The Handmaid's Tale.
[53] In 2020, he appeared as part of a series of "surprise virtual appearances" in support of
Joe Biden's
2020 presidential campaign.
[54] He supported
Joe Biden[55] and
Kamala Harris in the
2024 United States presidential election.
[56][57][58] In September 2025 he was one of over 400 artists who signed an open letter from the
American Civil Liberties Union in support of
Jimmy Kimmel following ABC's
suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
[59] In October 2025, he criticized the destruction of the
East Wing of the
White House in an appearance on
CNN.
[60]