US Election 2024: Star-studded campaigns lack real impact on voter decisions

Just after the US presidential debate on Sept 11, Taylor Swift wrote to her 280 million Instagram followers to declare her support for Vice President Kamala Harris saying she “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them”. 

 

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The next month, superstar Beyoncé made a surprise appearance at Harris’s Houston rally in the closing days of the campaign. 

In addition to tech billionaire Elon Musk, popular podcast host Joe Rogan and Oscar-winning director Mel Gibson endorsed former President Donald Trump. Controversial influencer Logan Paul even interviewed Trump on his podcast “Impaulsive” in June. 

During the presidential election campaign, a constellation of A-list celebrities leapt from the stage to the political arena, rallying behind both presidential candidates. However, despite the star-studded spectacle, Harris’s disappointing election results suggested that such an approach may be less effective than anticipated. 

The trend of celebrity endorsements is not new in American politics. In the 2016 and 2020 elections, notable figures such as Lady Gaga and Jay-Z campaigned for Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden respectively.

John Affleck, Department Head for Journalism at Pennsylvania State University, said that many seek to portray themselves as socially responsible. 

“There’s a public service aspect. I’m a good person, putting out these democratic values, asking people to vote,” he said. 

Affleck added that some celebrities hope to connect with fans who share their beliefs, enhancing their visibility.

“Someone may not know you that well but then you espouse this political viewpoint. And I might also have that political viewpoint, so I might be more likely to listen to your record,” he said.  

Matt McAllister, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said that the surge in social media has transformed how celebrities communicate their views. Lesser-known celebrities, in particular, may leverage social media to elevate their profiles proactively. 

“Celebrities are now routinely putting their thoughts into the public sphere… weighing in on Black Lives Matter, reproductive rights, or whatever it would be,” he said. 

“They also may know that they weren’t going to get asked about it by reporters. So maybe they just have a way to get ahead of it and just take a position,” he said. 

Politicians often seek celebrity endorsements to engage young voters. Affleck said that there’s a cycle that young people often feel overlooked, which leads to lower engagement. As a result, more resources are allocated to middle-aged and older voters, reinforcing the idea that young voices don’t matter. 

He said politicians think that by bringing in popular figures who resonate with younger audiences, they can inspire more people to vote. 

Harris won 54% of support from voters aged 18 to 29 nationwide, while Trump won 43%, and increase of 7 percentage points from 2020, according to an exit poll conducted by Edison Research. 

“Getting young people engaged in political discussions is always a challenge…Democrats think that younger voters tend to lean more liberal, especially compared to older generations,” he said. 

“It might not make people change their minds, but it might make people who support her [the celebrity’s] points of view more likely to vote,” he said. 

However, the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement on young voters is doubtful as many said decisions were made way before.

According to a survey conducted by YouGov, a global public opinion and data company, from August 13 to 17, eight out of 10 US citizens said they did not support a political candidate because of a celebrity endorsement.

The survey also found that around 80% of the respondents did not reconsider their position on a political issue because of a celebrity.

Ria Vora, 23, who just graduated from university in North Carolina, said she felt delighted to hear celebrities express their own political stance and root for a certain political party.

“I was happy when celebrities said that they were going for Harris, but I already knew who I was voting for,” she said.

She also said that some of her friends who were fans of Taylor Swift had already made their decisions before the superstar publicly announced her endorsement for the Democratic party.

Paloma, 23, who also just graduated from university, said most of her friends were “liberal people” who would vote rationally instead of blindly following endorsements.

McAllister suggested that there could be underlying dangers for the superstars who supported the Democrats.

“There’s a lot of red versus blue, or Democrat versus Republican, and so there is a danger of a celebrity endorsing, that they will alienate the side they’re not endorsing,” he said.

Basketball superstar Michael Jordan famously refused to endorse Democrat Harvey Gantt in 1990, saying, “Republicans buy sneakers, too”.

He said people do “think less of that celebrity” if the celebrity doesn’t support their candidate. 

But Affleck said that the damage would not be significant.

“However, they [the celebrities] still have their people who they are trying to impress or influence, like their fans and fan base, and if the fans like it, then they are still making money,” he said.