'Incredibly powerful': Study shows how celebrities could tilt 2024 election

Matthew Chapman
August 14, 2024 

Taylor Swift performs on the opening night of "The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. - John Medina/Getty Images North America/TNS

A new study from Harvard University reveals the extent to which celebrities could influence the course of the 2024 presidential election, reported the New York Daily News on Wednesday.

“While some polling shows that people claim they aren’t influenced by celebrity voices when it comes to politics, more rigorous evidence indicates that these voices are incredibly powerful,” said the report. “This potential impact is why nonprofits, candidates, and elected officials are increasingly seeking ways to engage celebrities.”

Among the impacts the report found, pop megastar Taylor Swift drove 250,000 people to register to vote with a single post in 2018. She has not made a formal endorsement this year, as she did for President Joe Biden in 2020, although some fans have speculated that one of her recent moves was an implicit endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Royce White, the MAGA candidate for Senate in Minnesota, even had a public meltdown over what he incorrectly thought was a Democratic endorsement from Swift.

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While voters continue to tell pollsters that celebrities don't influence their choices, both parties campaign as though they do, noted the Daily News.

"Despite often railing against celebrity culture, the Republican Party officially nominated former reality TV star Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. The party’s convention in Milwaukee last month featured rapper Kid Rock, wrestler Hulk Hogan and country singer Lee Greenwood," said the report.

Meanwhile, Democrats will kick off their convention in Chicago next week, "and while the list of celebrity attendees is still up in the air, Harris has already gotten support from musicians including Beyoncé, Megan the Stallion and Charli XCX."

Even without celebrity influence, Harris' entrance into the race following President Joe Biden's decision to end his bid for re-election has turbocharged young voter enthusiasm, according to recent polling data.