While Taylor Swift's high-profile endorsement of Kamala Harris fumed former US President Donald Trump and his supporters like Elon Musk, a new poll indicates that the pop star backing for Democratic candidate may not have expected impact on her campaign.
The Quinnipiac University survey, which was conducted from September 19 to 22, reveals that 76 percent of likely voters feel Swift's endorsement of Harris does not have any impact on their enthusiasm for the candidate. While only 9 percent of respondents say the endorsement makes them less enthusiastic, 13 percent say it has an impact on their enthusiasm.
Before Swift's announcement to endorse Harris, surveys presented a similar image, suggesting that the singer's support could sway people away from the US VP.
According to a July 29 Newsweek/Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey of 1,750 registered voters, 26 percent of Gen Z voters stated they would be “less likely” or “significantly less likely” to support a candidate endorsed by Swift.
Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris
Swift declared on Instagram that she was supporting Harris in the 2024 White House race following her first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.
{{/usCountry}}Swift declared on Instagram that she was supporting Harris in the 2024 White House race following her first presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.
{{/usCountry}}She mentioned that she is backing Harris as “she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
The singer went on to call the US VP “a steady-handed, gifted leader”, adding that she “can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift concluded her statement with the phrase “Childless Cat Lady,” alluding to remarks made in 2021 by Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who referred to prominent Democrats as “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
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Here's what experts has to say on Swift's endorsement
According to Thomas Gift, the head of University College London's Center of U.S. Politics, told Newsweek that endorsement of celebrities generally don't matter in politics.
However, Swift “is no ordinary celebrity,” Gift stated, adding that “she has the power to move national economies with her tours, so it's hard to say that her endorsement of Harris won't have an impact.”
Although Swift's support for Harris and her sly retort to Vance's disparaging remarks have garnered media attention, Dafydd Townley, an American politics professor at the University of Portsmouth, stated that there is unlikely to be a significant increase in the US VP's electability.
A Newsweek/Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll states that 34 percent of Gen Z voters stated they would be “more likely” or “significantly more likely” to support a candidate that received Swift's endorsement.