Celebrity endorsements have become a common and popular feature in US elections. Actors and athletes voice their opinions and come in support of presidential candidates and appear at party conventions. Although politicians cherish the support that famous celebrities provide in rallying votes, endorsements don't carry much weight as a decisive factor for election outcome.
However, when it's the popular singer-songwriter Taylor Swift who is showing endorsement for a political party, the scenario is notably different.
Following Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris’ first Presidential debate in September, Taylor Swift, the world's most celebrated pop-start, had publicly endorsed Kamala Harris on Instagram
Swift's endorsement garnered as much media attention as the debate itself. Tim Waltz, the Vice President to Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, received the news of endorsement live on her, and the excitement was clearly visible on his demeanor.
So, now the question arises: Why does Taylor Swift’s endorsement decision hold so much power? What's so significant about Swift's political stance that even Trump took to social media platform, Truth Social, to post “I hate Taylor Swift”, all in caps?
Richard Longoria, an associate professor of political science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, in an interview expressed to DW via an email that, “In a close election, [Swift's endorsement] could matter a great deal.”
Besides declaring her endorsement for Kamala Harris, Swift also encouraged her followers to register to vote on her Instagram story. She included the personalized link to the nonpartisan site vote.gov call to action on her story, which attracted more than 405,000 visitors within a single day.
However, this doesn't mean that Swift persuaded 405,000 voters to register to vote. Vote.gov is merely a site that directs people to their state's election website. This is where the real registration would take place. Nevertheless, if even half of the people who clicked on the CTA link registered their votes, it could make a huge difference.
Longoria said, “If she persuaded her fans to register to vote and to support Kamala Harris, those numbers could be significant. To win a presidential election in the US, a candidate needs to win a sufficient number of states. A few thousand votes in just a few states could be the difference between winning and losing.”
Although staunch supporters of Trump won't be affected by Swift's statement, she could make a difference by motivating individuals to go vote, who would have otherwise stayed at home on Election Day.
The case holds especially true and effectively as Swift has fans who are young Americans, the millennials (born somewhere between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born somewhere between 1997 and 2012). A plethora of GenZ voters will be voting for the first time this election. Besides, younger Americans are less likely to appear for voting.
As per the Pew Research Centre, adults below 50 years, contributed to only 36% of all the voters in 2022. So, if Swift's statement can persuade these non-participants to vote this election, Harris could likely witness a boost.
In a statement shared with DW, communication scientists Katja Friedrich and Cordula Nitsch, who have done immense research in the field of politics and entertainment, they mentioned, “Celebrity endorsements like Swift's are also noticed by people who are not interested in politics and take little or no note of election- and political media coverage.” “Taylor Swift has 284 million followers on Instagram! And endorsements like this often serve as a hook for further reporting in the media and thus reach an even larger audience”, they further added.
Swift's influence was clearly evident in 2023, when on National Voter Registration Day, she urged her fans to register to vote via a short message she posted on Instagram. Vote.org noted that 35,252 new registrations were made that day, which is 23% more than what was recorded on the same day in 2022. Although the numbers of these registrations directly linked to Swift is undetermined, Vote.org reported a nitbale 1,226% rise in activity during the hour after the singer made the announcement.
