Beyonce and Taylor Swift may support Kamala Harris, but do celeb endorsements actually do anything?

‘When Oprah Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama with an electrifying speech – it was reported that it gave his election a bump by a couple of million votes,’ he recalled.

‘Frank Sinatra famously backed John F Kennedy and even recorded a song to get him elected. More than 20 years later he donated millions to get Ronald Reagan into the White House.

‘In 2016 Donald Trump brought in Mike Tyson to influence the African-American vote, and it helped a little, but not a lot amongst that demographic.

‘The likes of A-List actors George Clooney and Angelina Jolie have also been vocal in politics, but their effect on the polling stations has been marginal.

‘So, it depends on the celebrity and, crucially how they commend candidates to a skeptical voter. In truth, many voters will see a celebrity getting involved for their own personal gain or self-aggrandizement.’

Following the Presidential debate in September, Swift issued a lengthy statement on Instagram, calling out the misinformation surrounding AI media of her endorsing Trump – while also declaring that she will be voting for Harris next week.

She also took the opportunity to urge her loyal fans to do their own research ‘on the issues and the stances these candidates take’.

‘I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,’ she wrote. ‘I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.

‘I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.

‘I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.

‘I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early.’

The Love Story musician signed off her message, ‘With love and hope, Taylor Swift. Childless Cat Lady,’ in response to JD Vance’s heavily criticized comments about leading Democrats being ‘a bunch of childless cat ladies.’

Knowles, who previously performed as part of Hilary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, echoed her sentiments at Harris’ rally a few days ago, beside former Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.

‘I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician, I’m here as a mother,’ she began. ‘A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided.

‘Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations. We must vote, and we need you.’

Burr explained that if the celebrity ‘matches the endorsement’ with the ‘depth and resonance’ that Swift and Knowles – and Winfrey in previous years – deployed, this could attract millions more votes.

‘Before Harris’ promotion as the Presidential candidate, Joe Biden had been trying to recruit Knowles to endorse him for years, because the data pointed to her and her fanbase as vote winners in their droves,’ he added.

‘Swift is the globe’s biggest star and influencer. Now in her mid-thirties, she is a surefire winner in middle America with families who have kids from 6 years old right the way through to teens and tweens and their parents – both mums who were teens when Taylor first came to prominence, and the newest phenomena of Swifties, the “girl dads”.

‘We can therefore see why, when Swift endorsed Harris on Instagram, it got almost 10 million likes alone.

‘Now that does matter.’

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