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However, some experts believe all the hype may have deepened the political divide and ultimately doomed her chances at the polls.
The vice president, proudly showcased her Bay Area swagger by booming hip-hop music at her rallies. She even danced at White House events, and spent her campaign garnering support from some of the world’s biggest names. She had the backing of the Hollywood elite.
From Barbra Streisand to Meryl Streep and Spike Lee — she seemed to have won the popularity contest among the young and hip. This is all thanks to pop singers Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Charli XCX. It also included nearly all of Marvel’s “Avengers.”
So how did Donald Trump regain the presidency?
Trump’s list of celebrity endorsements paled in comparison. It composed primarily of tech moguls like Elon Musk, popular podcast host Joe Rogan and a few others like Hulk Hogan.
However, he’s on track to become the first Republican candidate in 20 years to win the popular vote.
“In the last decades, when we do have a much more divided sense of how the population feels along party lines, I don’t think celebrity endorsements have much effect upon how people end up voting,” said Robert Thompson, media scholar and professor of television, radio and film at Syracuse University, in an interview with the Chronicle.
Thompson particularly noted the polarization of political parties in recent years. He says this has made one’s political identity an even more important component of their sense of self. “I think it’s a lot harder to have a celebrity, even one that you admire, completely overturn all of that complex identity-building that has taken place over time.”
That was certainly the case for San Francisco resident Anna Johnson.
“I don’t really look at celebrity endorsements in swaying where my views land or how I’m gonna vote,” the 39-year-old said. “But I think it’s admirable that they wanted to promote and actually push people to fill out their ballots.”
Indeed, Eli Yokely, the U.S. politics analyst for polling company Morningstar seems to agree. Eli believes that the primary function of celebrity endorsements has simply been to mobilize the vote.
He said that this “has been Donald Trump’s political magic when he’s been successful. He gets voters who are not politically engaged to show up and vote for him and bring him off the sidelines.”
Moreover, Thompson said celebrity endorsements may actually have a larger impact on how the public perceives the star. This is rather than how they perceive the candidate being endorsed.
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