Following the 2024 presidential debate on Sept. 10, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to post an endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris. 

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift said. 

Swift’s post received more than 2.3 million likes in a half hour and drove over 400,000 voters to vote.gov, according to an article by Forbes. 

For senior Dylan Howard, the influence of endorsements like Swift’s is undeniable. 

“Because celebrities have such vast and diverse audiences, using their platforms to voice political concerns helps get issues into mainstream media and get people talking about them,” Howard said. 

Along with Swift, other notable celebrities have come out in support of both Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Harris, including Elon Musk, Billie Eilish and Kesha.

The question then becomes: what makes certain celebrities endorse political candidates, and what impact can they make?

Howard said she believes branding and personal image play a role in an endorsement’s effectiveness.

“An endorsement from someone more involved in social activism and advocacy is more likely to be genuine and impactful than some random actor or actress who has never taken a political stance,” Howard said. “Especially when the candidate they are endorsing does not align with the celebrity’s usual brand, the endorsements can sometimes feel disingenuous and opportunistic.”

Though compared to endorsements from other political figures, celebrity endorsements have a broader public reach, according to Speech and Debate coach Joseph McMillan. 

“The majority of people don’t pay much attention to politics most of the time,” McMillan said. “Celebrity endorsements can be really valuable in reaching an audience that might otherwise not be engaged.”

For senior Sara Syed, celebrity endorsements can result in greater curiosity amongst voters, especially younger voters who are more likely to keep up with social media and pop culture. 

“The public likely speculates about celebrities’ political views for this reason,” Syed said. “You don’t want to support somebody that doesn’t align with your views or campaign around them.”

Howard said she believes the public may push celebrities to make political statements because “we recognize the impact their words can have on so many impressionable young people.”

“Celebrities are frequently idolized and put on a pedestal, with everything they say being internalized by much of their fanbase,” Howard said. “Especially in an age where social media allows for the constant spread of personal opinions, some may feel celebrities are responsible for using their platforms to spread awareness on issues impacting everyday individuals.”

Howard said past behaviors can determine the authenticity of a celebrity endorsement.

“A celebrity’s brand or personal image definitely plays a role in the effectiveness of their endorsement,” Howard said. “An endorsement from someone more involved in social activism and advocacy is more likely to be genuine and impactful than some random actor or actress who has never taken a political stance. Especially when the candidate they are endorsing does not align with the celebrity’s usual brand, the endorsements can sometimes feel disingenuous and opportunistic.”

McMillan said certain celebrities’ opinions may be put at a higher standard than others.

“(We take into account the opinions of) somebody who people respect. Some people are famous but aren’t like really respected,” McMillan said. “It goes back to this idea of perception right the way we often perceive celebrities often doesn’t line up with reality.”

Whether celebrity endorsements have the ability to make a significant impact, though, remains uncertain. 

“Because celebrities are not required to talk about politics for their jobs,” Howard said. “Their endorsement of a candidate can be that much more impactful because it means they feel so strongly about one candidate or another.” 

Howard said she also believes that if enough celebrities with large audiences utilize their resources collaboratively, a candidate’s success can be largely impacted. 

“It depends on the trust built between the celebrity and their fanbase and the audience’s perception of the endorsement,” Howard said. 

On the other hand, McMillan said he believes the endorsements may or may not impact voter decisions, depending on the circumstances.

“Endorsements serve often times more as confirmations for people who are already leaning one way or another,” McMillan said. “It will be interesting to see if (celebrity endorsements) do seem to be a factor following the results of the election. It can give people a little bit of a nudge, which in politics, is often all that you need.”

Further demonstrating the unpredictability of an endorsement’s impact, Hamline University political science professor David Schultz told CBS News that from past evidence, celebrity endorsements likely do not matter in elections.

However, citing a review of 2008 election data, Schultz stated that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement had a significant effect on Barack Obama’s victory over Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, demonstrating somewhat of an irregularity in voting trends. 

“I think effectiveness depends on who (celebrities) endorse,” Syed said. “Especially in America, politics are very divided–there’s a very distinct two party split. So I feel like if a celebrity were to say ‘I’m voting blue,’ they could end up losing a lot of red families from their fanbases.”

Ultimately, Howard said establishing one’s political views and deciding who to vote for should go beyond what a celebrity says. 

“Making a decision as important as who to vote for to become our next president is not one that you can make solely from reading Instagram captions or stories of celebrities holding an ‘I Voted’ sticker with the name of the candidate they voted for,” Howard said. 

McMillan said he believes celebrity endorsements should impact students’ political habits more than their political opinions. 

“I think that I think everybody should be engaged in following and paying attention to the political process,” McMillan said. “So in some ways, yes, I think that endorsement or some sort of encouragement from a celebrity that you respect should affect political views. Oftentimes, the issue with celebrities is we don’t truly know them on a personal level, but (endorsements) can cause people to be more open, perhaps, to talking about political issues in a respectful way and an actually productive way.”

Pressuring celebrities to share their political views or stances could even be counterproductive to the purpose of an endorsement, Howard said.

“While (celebrities) have influence and can amplify meaningful social and political conversations, celebrities have a right to privacy,” Howard said. “Pressuring celebrities to take a stance on an election risks ingenious endorsements that do not align with their actual political beliefs.”

Along with the considerations above, Syed leaves readers with her ultimate takeaway on celebrity endorsements.

“I don’t think that celebrities should determine your personal decision, voting for someone because this celebrity says that you should or shouldn’t,” Syed said. “Don’t be a sheep.”