Mystery guests and celebrities at political conventions often make headlines of their own as pundits and supporters try to guess who might make an appearance.
At the Democratic National Convention, multiple celebrities and musicians have made their support for Kamala Harris clear.
Actors Kerry Washington and Mindy Kaling have served as hosts of the DNC in Chicago this week. Lil Jon and Oprah Winfrey were among the surprise guests at the DNC. Other celebrities taking part in the convention have included Stevie Wonder, Kenan Thompson, Maren Morris, Patti LaBelle, Amanda Gorman, Common, Spike Lee, Steve Kerr and John Legend.
There are also whispers of Taylor Swift and Beyonce possibly appearing on the final night of the DNC this evening. One flight tracker reported a private plane from London (where Swift just wrapped up a concert run) to Chicago arrived on Wednesday.
“Celebrity endorsements are one category of endorsements that evidence and history suggest work to get votes and donations,” said Megan Duncan, a Virginia Tech communication professor. “Celebrity endorsements are of course common in advertising merchandise, and they can be a useful tool for politicians’ campaigns, too.”
Former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump tried to get Swifties on board with his campaign when he shared fake AI-generated images on his social media channels falsely showing Swift and her fans supporting him in the upcoming presidential election.
Until 2020, Swift mostly did not share her political views. However, in the 2020 presidential election, Swift sent out a message to her millions of followers that she planned to watch the vice presidential debate: “Gonna be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by yelling at the tv a lot.”
Swift also told V Magazine in 2020 that she believed the Biden-Harris ticket would help the nation heal.
“I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.
“The change we need most is to elect a president who recognizes that people of color deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included,” Swift said.
The song “Freedom” by Beyonce has been used, with permission, at rallies for the Harris-Walz presidential campaign. Harris has embraced freedom, joy and forward as themes of their campaign.
Beyonce’s team allegedly threatened legal action against the Trump campaign for the unauthorized use of her “Freedom” video. The Trump campaign was also criticized for using Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” song at rallies without permission.
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Duncan said celebrity endorsements work best at getting people who are disengaged from politics to pay attention.
“They’re most effective at getting people enthusiastic about voting for a candidate rather than talking specific policies — with the exception of people who have a personal connection that increases their expertise in an area,” said Duncan.
The support can also lead to more contributions.
“They’re also quite effective at getting people to donate to political campaigns and causes, although generally they are more effective on younger rather than older voters,” Duncan said.
A celebrity can give non-political voters a reason to get involved and vote.
“A strategic celebrity endorsement would be one that connects to an audience that would generally agree with the campaign’s policies but isn’t likely to show up at the polls without some encouragement,” Duncan said. “For those audiences, a celebrity can be a reason to get excited for a candidate and a motivation to get involved.”
In addition to a headline speech by Harris, tonight’s speakers will include the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger. The program is expected to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
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Crystal Graham
