pictureEarlier this week, the highly anticipated presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took place. But one of the most newsworthy events of the night was pop megastar Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris on Instagram after the debate concluded. “The easiest way to fight misinformation is to spread the truth. I will be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Waltz for President in 2024,” Swift wrote in a caption underneath a photo of her holding a cat. “With love and hope from Taylor Swift, a childfree, cat-loving woman.”
Swift’s influence was huge and immediate. Celebrities like WNBA breakout stars Kaitlyn Clark and Jennifer Aniston also liked the post, which garnered millions of likes within minutes. As a direct result of Swift’s post, more than 300,000 new visitors visited vote.gov, and she highlighted the action in her remarks at the VMA awards the following night: “If you’re 18 or older, please register to vote in something that matters – the presidential election.”
In modern social structures, where parasocial relationships dominate, celebrities are no longer seen simply as entertainers to like and enjoy, but as an extension of their fans’ moral, social, and political values. In a political context, the transitive logic of “I’m a good person and I like X as my favorite celebrity, so they must be good people too” is likely to rapidly devolve into the logic of “I’m a good person and my favorite celebrity candidate is X, so my favorite celebrity is good and right, so they must be right candidates too.”
It was a major boost for the Harris-Waltz campaign, which has been struggling to keep up with an accelerated election cycle: Endorsements, celebrity-driven social media trends like Charlie XCX’s “Brat Summer,” and succinct talking points have served as an effective proxy to fill the gaps in a campaign where a VP team hastily assembled and a policy platform was only released this week.
Swift is the latest in a wave of celebrities using their platforms to back Harris and Waltz. Since the candidates were announced in July, celeb support has been pouring in, with donations, social media endorsements and stars stepping up as surrogate delegates. Megan Thee Stallion, for example, started her own affinity group, Hotties for Harris, and even performed at Harris’ Atlanta rally. “We’re doing really good things and I’m really proud of us,” the Houston rapper told Billboard in a recent interview. “Now it’s just a matter of getting out there and voting.”
Florida rapper Pryce, no stranger to online virality, has turned his social media platforms to defend Harris’ campaign, defending her against what he considers misogynistic and racist attacks. “To dudes like me,” he said in an August Instagram video, “Stop holding f**king black women to account.”
Celebrity endorsements are common in modern politics, with Hollywood elites well represented in the public sphere. Notably, disgraced music executive P. Diddy launched a “Vote or Die” campaign through his organization, Citizen Change, in 2004 to try to block the reelection of George Bush. This tradition is longstanding, but the advent of social media has strengthened the connections between celebrities and influencers and their fans and consumers, increasing the potential reach and impact of these choices. Tapping into that parasocial economy through vocal celebrity endorsers has become a powerful short-term option for the Harris campaign to stoke enthusiasm.
But ultimately, celebrities aren’t campaign or policy experts, and relying on them can lead to a lack of candor on issues. A prime example is Gaza. While representatives such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have argued that Harris is actively working toward a ceasefire, the candidate’s rhetoric has been discordant. Harris has long supported the Palestinian right to self-determination, but in campaign speeches and recent debates she has toned down her ceasefire rhetoric, repeatedly saying that “Israel has the right to defend itself.”
These actions minimize the impact of a crisis that has been described as genocidal and defend Israel’s actions that have come under wide international scrutiny, including from the International Court of Justice.The euphoria that followed Swift’s endorsement could ultimately be perceived as alienating the voices of young Democrats who have actively campaigned to bring attention to this important foreign policy issue — an emerging voting bloc whose influence has been overshadowed by the reach and influence of one of our greatest contemporary stars.
Celebrities are certainly key to stimulating political enthusiasm, but relying too heavily on their influence can quickly become a double-edged sword. As the Harris-Waltz campaign continues to work through the final two months of the election season, it will need to hammer out a unified message that will reach all of the voters it seeks.
