Hello Curieux and Jean-Luc look,
This is the question that everyone asks themselves, without actually having the answer.
On paper, endorsements from the likes of Barack Obama — or Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bruce Springsteen, Tyler Perry, Taylor Swift or Beyoncé — could help Kamala Harris’ campaign, which needs a coalition of votes to succeed. These celebrities help mobilize voters and attract donors big and small — Barack Obama is set to host a fundraising event for Harris in Los Angeles. They ensure media coverage of the event they attend.
Each of these endorsements can help the candidate’s campaign target specific groups of voters: Bill Clinton campaigns in rural areas, Bruce Springsteen is popular with older white Americans, while actor Tyler Perry is popular with black women. Yesterday he gave a speech about growing up in a disadvantaged environment.
For Kamala Harris, the endorsement of two former presidents lends credibility to her campaign and could help reassure voters of her ability to lead.
However, the extent of this support is difficult to measure. In 2008, Oprah Winfrey’s charisma helped Barack Obama win… the Democratic primary against Hillary Clinton, David Schultz, professor of political science at Hamline University in Minnesota, explained to CBS News. Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris affected voter registrations.
But this support can give the impression of an elitist campaign, divorced from reality, while Donald Trump — himself a celebrity — ran an anti-celebrity, anti-establishment campaign that called on stars to speak out against him.
Alyssa Cass, a strategist at Blueprint, a Democratic public opinion research firm, summarized i The New Yorker : “The [Taylor] What Swift has to offer is an aura of coolness” to the candidate. Stephanie Burt, a professor at Harvard who teaches a course titled “Taylor Swift and Her World,” tempers this. For her, it is difficult to imagine that the support of the singer or a celebrity could change the opinion of voters who have already chosen a candidate. “But she can remind low-engagement voters — particularly Swifties, who tend to be young, female and white — to register and vote, and most of those voters are likely to support Kamala.”notes Stephanie Burt.
According to The New Yorkerthe biggest support Harris received came from Charli XCX, who tweeted “Kamala IS a brat”. More impactful than Kid Rock endorsing Donald Trump.
In May, Blueprint conducted a survey of 943 voters aged 18 to 30. Among young Democrats, the five most influential celebrities are Zendaya, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. Among young Republicans they are Kevin Hart, Taylor Swift, LeBron James, Kanye West and Lil Wayne. Among young independents they are Eminem, MrBeast, Tom Holland, Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar.
