{"id":37412,"date":"2024-08-21T14:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=37412"},"modified":"2024-09-16T21:28:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T21:28:16","slug":"could-taylor-swifts-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-make-a-difference-19-of-young-people-admit-a-celebritys-ok-might-influence-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/could-taylor-swifts-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-make-a-difference-19-of-young-people-admit-a-celebritys-ok-might-influence-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Taylor Swift\u2019s endorsement of Kamala Harris make a difference? 19% of young people admit a celebrity\u2019s OK might influence them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Richard T. Longoria<\/a>, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following months of speculation about would she or wouldn\u2019t she, Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with an Instagram post shortly after the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I\u2019m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,\u201d Taylor wrote to her 283 million followers in the post<\/a>, which she signed as \u201cChildless Cat Lady.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swift joins a growing list of celebrities who are backing Harris \u2013 including British pop star Charli XCX, who posted on X<\/a> in July that \u201ckamala IS brat<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harris\u2019 campaign astutely embraced Charli XCX\u2019s support \u2013 temporarily changing the background of its X profile<\/a> to the same shade of lime green that Charlie XCX favors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, a range of other celebrities<\/a>, including actor Jeff Bridges<\/a>, the singer Cher<\/a>, movie director Spike Lee<\/a> and comedian Amy Schumer<\/a>, among others, have endorsed Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, comedian Roseanne Barr<\/a>, as well as singer Kid Rock<\/a>, model Amber Rose<\/a> and actor Jon Voight<\/a> have endorsed Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some researchers have estimated that Oprah Winfrey\u2019s endorsement of Barack Obama in 2008 gave him an additional 1 million votes<\/a>. Winfrey also spoke at the August 2024 Democratic National Convention and endorsed Harris<\/a> there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Oprah Winfrey speaks at a February 2008 rally in Los Angeles for Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama. Valerie Macon\/AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But overall, research shows that celebrity political endorsements don\u2019t matter enough<\/a> to determine an election\u2019s results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If celebrity endorsements don\u2019t shift an election, then why do political campaigns seek them out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer is that they still do matter and for many different reasons. Celebrities can easily get media attention, act as campaign surrogates, expand the voter base and make campaign contributions<\/a>. All these things can help a candidate win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What guides voters and celeb endorsements<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Not many people will admit that they voted for a candidate because Oprah Winfrey or another celebrity told them to \u2013 so survey research will rarely find that celebrity endorsements are meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 89% of adults also said in February 2020 that they wouldn\u2019t switch their vote because of a celebrity endorsement<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this leaves 11% of American adults who said that they might change their preferred candidate based on what a celebrity said. Another 19% of younger voters also said in this same poll that a celebrity could help change their vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a close election, these voters at the margins could change a candidate\u2019s fortunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrities can help keep a politician in the news cycle<\/a> \u2013 and a celebrity endorsement gives candidates an extra opportunity to distribute their message to a public audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it is Jeff Bridges \u2013 who played \u201cThe Dude\u201d in the 1998 movie \u201cThe Big Lebowski\u201d \u2013 speaking at a \u201cWhite dudes for Harris\u201d<\/a> Zoom meeting, or the pro-Trump singer Kid Rock hosting a series of \u201cRock the Country\u201d<\/a> concerts, celebrity endorsements can also help candidates target specific demographic groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrities also benefit when they get involved in politics because they, too, depend on staying relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By weighing in on political issues, celebrities can keep themselves in the limelight and promote their personal brand. There is a risk, however, that a celebrity might alienate fans<\/a> and business partners who don\u2019t share their political views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
Hulk Hogan appears at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18, 2024. Robert Gauthier\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A strong online presence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Celebrities can also get a lot of media attention when they disagree with a politician or are offended by what they say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Trump\u2019s running mate, JD Vance, has said that \u201cthe entire future of the Democrats<\/a> is controlled by people without children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His 2021 comments about the country being run by \u201cchildless cat ladies<\/a>\u201d also resurfaced<\/a> in July 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actress Jennifer Aniston<\/a> and talk-show host Whoopi Goldberg<\/a> went on the counteroffensive, stating that there are many reasons some women don\u2019t have children, including fertility challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI truly can\u2019t believe that this is coming from a potential VP of the United States,\u201d Aniston wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll I can say is \u2026 Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding the electorate base<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Celebrities can also effectively encourage people to register to vote or to actually vote. In September 2023, Swift encouraged her fans<\/a> to register to vote with a link to vote.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The site saw a 1,226% increase in traffic, and over 35,000 new voters registered<\/a> within an hour of her post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was months of speculation this election<\/a> that Swift would formally back<\/a> Harris, as she did President Joe Biden during the 2020 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Swift fans looked for clues of a possible endorsement, including that a Swift dancer \u2013 who wore a pantsuit<\/a> during a recent concert \u2013 appeared to resemble Harris<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Swift\u2019s endorsement finally happened, Swift\u2019s fans<\/a>, who had organized a \u201cSwifties for Kamala<\/a>\u201d movement, released a statement saying, \u201cWe never doubted Taylor<\/a> would endorse at the right time because we know that her values align with Harris and our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump falsely implied on Aug. 18 that Swift endorsed him, posting an AI-generated image on Truth Social<\/a> that showed an image of Swift and said, \u201cTaylor wants you to vote for Donald Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Swift\u2019s Sept. 10 Instagram post, she commented on the AI image of her that Trump shared, writing, \u201cIt really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrities still have political influence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Celebrity political endorsements are unlikely to change a voter\u2019s core values or sway voters who are already closely following politics and are familiar with the different candidates and what they stand for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But celebrities still have cultural influence and could encourage people who are not closely engaged in politics or an election<\/a> to vote for or support a candidate in other ways, such as with donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And research also shows that celebrities are especially likely to shape the political opinions of younger voters<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even if a celebrity endorsement is not the primary reason any voter would select a particular candidate, the celebrity endorsement might have value for some people. And in a close election, it can be just a few thousand votes that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is an update of an earlier version<\/a> published on Aug. 20, 2024.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard T. Longoria<\/a>, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Richard T. Longoria, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Following months of speculation about would she or wouldn\u2019t she, Taylor Swift announced her endorsement of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris with an Instagram post shortly after the Sept. 10, 2024, presidential debate. \u201cI will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":37413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[279,7,46,40,296,36,4],"tags":[13922,206,479,7319,885,891,886,860,12946,475],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37412"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37414,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37412\/revisions\/37414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}