Not only was Beyoncé on the playlist at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston on Friday, she was also a special guest.
The question is how much Beyoncé can help Harris. The rally in deep-red Texas comes as the vice president finds himself in a dead heat nationally (and between Most swing states) against former President Donald Trump, and as Democrats’ Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred. narrows the gap Along with his GOP rival, Sen. Ted Cruz.
On Friday, Beyoncé became the latest influential celebrity to make a splash with Harris’ endorsement — someone who has already indirectly supported Harris by allowing her to use a track from his album. Lemonade as his campaign song. She joins the likes of Taylor Swift and Oprah, who both threw their weight behind the Harris campaign earlier this year, along with other celebs like Megan the Stallion, Quavo and Charli XCX.
While celebrity endorsements have not necessarily been found to sway voters from one candidate to another, Beyoncé’s endorsement may motivate her fans to turn out. That could come in the form of increased voter registration or higher turnout among young voters, women and black voters — all of whom are Beyoncé’s audience and key members of critical Democratic constituencies that the party needs to turn out in large numbers.
Given how closely contested this election is, any benefits — including increased attention from Beyoncé’s endorsement — could prove significant. More than any other in recent memory, Poll proposal The contest could come down to a handful of votes in key states.
“While the effects are generally considered modest, in elections with a small number of votes in a handful of swing states, any effect could be significant,” said the Bowling Green State University professor. David J. Jackson previously told Vox.
Beyoncé’s endorsement may have implications
Celebrity endorsements haven’t necessarily been found to sway voters—although they can inspire enthusiasm among people who follow them.
Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of former President Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary is a rare example of a specific endorsement of a real, scientifically studied influence on candidate choice. According to a 2013 Northwestern University studyHis endorsement — one of only a few political statements of support he’s made — translated into an increase in voting, donations, and an estimated one million votes for Obama.
A key caveat of that study is that it focused on a Democratic primary, when voters were choosing from candidates affiliated with the same party, rather than a general election, when candidates have major partisan differences. Additionally, experts believe endorsements can provide more useful information to voters in a primary when there is a wider mix of new and familiar options. In a general election, if the candidates are more established, endorsements may be less likely to offer novel insights.
“It was a different atmosphere because it was a primary election among Democrats where Oprah ran,” said the University of Wisconsin-Madison political scientist. Barry Burden previously told CBS 58, A regional affiliate in Wisconsin. “So everyone participating is basically a Democrat or sympathetic to a Democrat, and that’s where an endorsement can really matter.”
Although that case study shows how a prominent celebrity can wield their cachet. They can strengthen a candidate’s connection to a certain age group or demographic, and they can help generate interest.
“If you suddenly see it on your social media feed or on TikTok or wherever and see that your favorite celebrity has given an interview or had a conversation with a politician, that politician is much more likely to gain traction by getting into people. attention spans,” Josephine HarmonAssistant Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University, London, previously said Northeast Global News.
Beyoncé’s endorsement could boost Harris’ credibility with her audience and add to her appeal given the singer’s popularity and influence. A fan who already leans Democrat may be motivated to register to vote or attend a rally because of his support.
Swift’s September endorsement clarified some of these implications. following Swift’s Instagram endorsement of Harriswhich called on people to register to vote, 406,000 people clicked on the link on Vote.gov, which directs people to various state voting websites. It’s unclear how many followed through with their registration, but the spike in interest alone was remarkable.
Beyonce, with her huge following and reach (she boasts 314 million Instagram followers to Swift’s 283 million), could have a comparable impact.
