By Abigail Chai, Center Spread Editor
The night of September 10th marks a momentous day in American politics, with the first debate between 2024 presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump taking place; however, that wasn’t the only pivotal event that occurred that night. Just a few minutes after its conclusion, singer and songwriter Taylor Swift released her official endorsement of Harris to her 283 million Instagram followers firmly stating, “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice.”
Swift is just one of many who have recently come out in support of Harris, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars rallying behind the Democratic nominee. Drawing the support from stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and even Charli XCX- who famously tweeted “KAMALA IS BRAT” in reference to her meme-turned-album – Harris’s renowned advocates are some of the most prominent figures in pop culture today. However, Trump has also attracted his own group of star-studded allies, receiving support from figures such as Logan Paul, Hulk Hogan, and most notably, Elon Musk. And while these big-name endorsements don’t necessarily make or break elections, they undoubtedly do matter, especially amongst younger voters.
Overtime, political scientists and analysts discovered that endorsements have shown substantial influence in spurring electoral activity in the country. For example, in just 24 hours Swift’s pivotal Instagram post which featured a link to “vote.gov”- a website that outlines the voter registration process – tractioned over 400,000 clicks to the site; a striking number compared to the average 30,000 viewers it received beforehand. Swift’s impact isn’t an isolated case either, with a Harvard Study finding that nonprofits have experienced significantly higher registration numbers and poll worker sign-ups shortly following widely publicized celebrity backings.
And although it is difficult to discern their true effectiveness in swaying votes to one particular party or candidate, celebrities’ unique ability to connect to their audiences lead many to believe that they can influence the voting behavior of millions of fans. A widely contended belief though, the evidence of them actually affecting election results is sparse. For instance, senior Matthew Situ (12) admits that an endorsement by a favored celebrity may sway his vote, stating, “it might prompt me to reevaluate the candidate.” However, he ultimately concluded that his decision would still be rooted in his own personal beliefs and policy preferences. Similarly, senior Jimmy Guan (12) shared that while he rather draw his vote with his own research, depending on who the celebrity is, he may take into consideration their opinion. And although both are ineligible to vote by November 5th, their mutual opinions on the impact of celebrity endorsements paints a conflicting viewpoint on celebrity power amidst this race.
