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After much fevered anticipation, Beyoncé appeared at Vice President Kamala Harris’ Houston campaign rally Friday evening, ready to declare her stance in this year’s election. The global icon, alongside her former Destiny’s Child bandmate, Kelly Rowland, hit the stage to address her hometown crowd “not as a celebrity” or “politician,” but as a mother of three “who cares deeply about the world my children, and all of our children, live in.”
“We all have a role to play,” Beyoncé proclaimed, urging the public to vote and sing a “new American song” with the “next president of the United States” as she introduced Harris.
Before the singer’s remarks, Rowland delivered a similar speech about “grabbing back the pen from those who are trying to write an American story of misogyny and racism,” concluding with a full-on endorsement of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
For the past few months, we’ve consistently heard these kinds of messages from the Democratic Party’s celebrity supporters. With Beyoncé and Rowland’s appearance on the campaign trail, the singers joined a chorus of big-name stars who have made their politics known heading into the contentious 2024 election.
Most notably, Taylor Swift stunned the nation by announcing her endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket mere minutes after Harris’ debate against Republican nominee Donald Trump on Sept. 10. But dozens of other A-list names have voiced support for Harris, too, including Charli XCX, Eminem, Kerry Washington, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Legend, Stephen Curry, Samuel L. Jackson, the Obamas, the Clintons and former President Jimmy Carter. Trump has also garnered celebrity co-signs for his presidential campaign, with Amber Rose, Kid Rock, Mel Gibson, Hulk Hogan, Elon Musk and more being outspoken supporters of his candidacy.
So far, both presidential tickets have used celebrity star power to gain more visibility among voters and bolster their poll numbers. But with just a week left until Election Day, can high-profile names still sway the vote?
It’s a bit complicated.
Many expected Swift’s timely Harris endorsement — which drove over 400,000 social media users to vote.gov — to generate a ton of buzz, translating to votes for the current VP. However, a survey conducted by Quinnipiac University between Sept. 19 and 22 revealed that 76% of likely voters said the announcement didn’t increase their excitement about Harris’ candidacy. About 9% claimed the endorsement did motivate them, but another 13% said it made them less enthusiastic about Harris possibly becoming president.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll reported on by The Hill last month unveiled similar results: 81% of surveyed voters noted Swift’s backing of Harris would not influence their voting decisions.
University of Portsmouth professor Dafydd Townley, who teaches American politics, addressed the skewed data, telling Newsweek: “While Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris — and her backhanded response to JD Vance’s denigration of female cat owners — has caught the headlines, it is unlikely to cause a considerable surge in Harris’ electability. The vast majority of Swifties registered to vote, if not all of them, would have likely voted for Harris before the endorsement.”
Results weren’t much different for Trump’s high-profile endorsement from tech billionaire Musk. Quinnipiac University’s research revealed that 64% of likely voters saw no difference in their enthusiasm about Trump’s candidacy after Musk’s co-sign.
While Swift’s and Musk’s celebrity alone may not have moved the needle, an August study published by Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation suggested “rigorous evidence indicates” how celebrities’ voices can still be “incredibly powerful” tools in politics to help increase civic participation, hence why candidates seek them out.
The study also argued that celebrities’ “normalization” of political engagement can “lead to increased voter turnout and sustained civic involvement, ultimately strengthening democracy.”
“Celebrities draw increased engagement, increased attention and they increase conversation,” Ashley Spillane, author of the Harvard study, told NPR. “And no matter the political party or the candidate, there is a real hunger to be affiliated with the celebrities that can do that.”
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Significant chatter over Beyoncé’s Friday appearance — which followed false rumors that she’d appear at the Democratic National Convention in August — only fuels these claims. It’s clear the Harris team recognizes the power of the singer’s enormous cultural impact, the same kind of effect other famous faces hope to have on this year’s election, too, per their own rallying efforts.
But even if their influence is immeasurable, public figures seem eager to get involved and use their elevated platforms to aid the presidential race in any way they can.
“I don’t want to sit out. I want to make sure that my voice is heard,” Grammy-winning singer Legend told “CBS Mornings” about the impact of celebrity endorsements. “But also that I lift up other voices and make sure they’re heard, too.”
Nov. 5 may give us a peek into how much celebrity endorsements moved the needle for this year’s election results. Until then, we’re sure to see more stars flood the campaign trail as we enter the final stretch.
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