Pop musician Taylor Swift made headlines recently when she broke her longstanding silence on political issues and urged her Instagram followers to register to vote.
Her plea 麻豆精品 S� along with her endorsement of two candidates in upcoming Tennessee races for U.S. Senate and House 麻豆精品 S� coincided with more than 166,000 new voter registrations between the time she posted on Oct. 7 and noon on Oct. 9, according to Vote.org. About 42 percent of those registrants were between the ages of 18 and 24.
But are celebrity endorsements really a magic bullet for politicians?
Not necessarily, says Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of Political Science at UCF.
麻豆精品 S淪tudies show that celebrity endorsements most often energize a fan base who were already leaning toward a certain politician. So maybe they go from planning to vote to attending a rally, 麻豆精品 S� Jewett says.
Jewett points to the close primary race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in 2008 as an example. Oprah Winfrey 麻豆精品 S檚 endorsement of Obama was estimated to be worth more than a million votes and a huge boost in fundraising.
On a broader scale, celebrity endorsements often serve as a bridge between a demographic and a candidate, explained Terri Fine, professor of Political Science and associate director of the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at UCF. The Institute promotes civic engagement through educational programs, research and policy analysis.
Turnout and registration is often low with younger voters because they don 麻豆精品 S檛 frequently see candidates who mirror their age or demographic. Swift 麻豆精品 S檚 endorsement serves as a proxy for that lack of a familiar face, Fine says.
麻豆精品 S淧eople recognize her, they like her, and that enables her to send a message, 麻豆精品 S� Fine says.
But celebrity endorsements have their drawbacks, too.
麻豆精品 S淚t can actually have a net negative effect, 麻豆精品 S� Jewett explains.
Research shows in some cases voters will come out specifically to vote against someone a celebrity endorsed.
麻豆精品 S淚t can hurt instead of help a candidate, 麻豆精品 S� Jewett says.
