By Jackie Belliveau, Contributing Writer

Voters everywhere know that this year’s presidential election results may be the closest in U.S. history. Candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are doing whatever it takes  to secure more votes, from traveling to swing states to spending millions on campaign ads. These efforts also include collecting a slate of celebrity endorsements, most notably Taylor Swift endorsement of Harris. But will this endorsement actually have a meaningful impact when citizens head to the polls? 

Much has been made of Swift’s endorsement of Harris a few weeks ago. Some compare it to Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Former President Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primaries, which may have granted him almost a million votes over Hillary Clinton. Vivi Gaudet ’27 told The Banner, “I think that celebrities have a lot of influence over their fans… so they will probably impact an election if they endorse a political candidate.” Anna Oh ’28 agreed, “If Taylor Swift buys a skirt, then everyone’s going to buy that skirt,” pointing out that her influence on this election could have a similar effect. 

However, many political experts are skeptical. A New York Times article titled “The Taylor Swift Endorsement Fantasy ” claims that celebrity endorsements have held little sway over past elections (Oprah being the exception), and the wish that Swift might swoop down and magically carry Harris to victory is a useless one. In the end, it is policy that preoccupies voters, and candidates must use actual politics in order to emerge victorious. As college professor Mark Harvey put it in an August 2024 interview with NPR, “If I were to ask you what is affecting your vote, most people are going to say, it’s the economy. It’s gas prices… [and] what’s my ideology? It’s not ‘what does Taylor Swift think?’”

The claim that celebrities’ have a great amount of influence on elections seems to be a dubious one; at the end of the day, it is the voters who decide our country’s next leader. So whether you lean Republican, Democrat, or Independent, remember to get out there and vote if you can!