December 3, 2007  

Celebrity endorsements of presidential candidates are nothing new in American Politics.  But with each presidential election cycle, in our increasingly celebrity-focused culture, they become a more prominent aspect of campaigns.  How much do they, or should they, affect voters choices?

Celebrities who have come out for candidates so far in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election include Oprah Winfrey for Barack Obama, Barbara Streisand for Hillary Clinton, Bonnie Raitt for John Edwards, Chuck Norris for Mike Huckabee, and Robert Duvall for Rudy Giuliani. 

These endorsements help the candidates raise money and give them free publicity.  They also attract people to political rallies, and, the candidates hope, sway people to turn out and vote for them on Election Day.  While the money and publicity aspects of their endorsements are obvious, there is no consensus on the extent to which they affect voter’s choices.

Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told USINFO, “I don’t view them very highly”.  Baker, a radio commentator, newspaper columnist and author of Strangers on a Hill, a new book on the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court, believes a celebrity endorsement may reinforce a voter’s decision to support a particular candidate, but he doubted it would cause a voter to switch their allegiance. 

Baker’s analysis is supported by a recent opinion poll.  According to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken October 12-14, “More than six in 10 adults say endorsements aren't that important in deciding whom they'll support for president . . .”

Whether or not celebrity endorsements affect how Americans chose their presidents, the perceived influence they have evokes reactions for and against them.  The candidates obviously value them, seek them, and think they're important.

Others, including one prominent celebrity, think they should not be important.  Wheel of Fortune game show host Pat Sajak, in a rare foray into political commentary in an article titled Celebrities Unqualified to Give Political Endorsements posted at Human Events.com, offered his perspective on the issue.  According to Sajak, “It’s one thing to buy an ab machine because Chuck Norris recommends it (he’s in good shape, isn’t he?) or a grill because George Foreman’s name is on it (he’s a great guy, so it must be a great grill!), but the idea of choosing the Leader of the Free World based on the advice of someone who lives in the cloistered world of stardom seems a bit loony to me.”

Celebrities, of course, come in multiple varieties, more or less influential or widely respected by the American public.  In a Forbes.com/E-Poll Market Research poll, “2,213 men and women over the age of 18 were read a list of celebrities and asked how they would respond--positively or negatively--if the celebrity were to endorse a political candidate”.

Without regard to political identification, “The six who would have the most positive impact on the image of a candidate with whom they associated were Oprah, on top, followed by Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, Angelina Jolie and Tiger Woods.  On the negative side, our poll shows politicians should be avoiding the likes of Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Cruise, Madonna, Jane Fonda, Donald Trump and Susan Sarandon”.  No surprises here.

One celebrity who may prove to be in a class of her own, however, is Oprah Winfrey.  Pundits, politicians, and people around the country are watching the effect of her endorsement on the fortunes of Barack Obama.  Should he upset Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, Winfrey could get much of the credit and force people like Baker to reassess their conclusions.

Winfrey is extraordinary for the range of her activities and her influence.  "She's unbelievably influential," says Bill Carroll of Katz Television Group, a programming consultant for TV stations.  Winfrey, who talks to 49 million people a week, has the top-rated daytime television talk show, publishes a monthly magazine and has a weekly radio show. When Winfrey endorses a book on her television program it becomes an instant best seller.

Whether or not she can do the same for Obama, the first African-American presidential candidate to have broad national appeal, remains to be seen.  But we don’t have to wait too long to find out.  Obama trails Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, significantly in national polls.  But Obama has edged ahead Clinton in the polls in Iowa, a critical early test of the candidates.  If he wins the Iowa Caucus in early January he could go on to win in New Hampshire a few days later.  If he does that, he could go on to become the Democratic Party candidate in the national election, and pundits everywhere will be assessing Winfrey’s role.

Still, according to the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, just 8 percent of adults said Winfrey's backing made them more likely to support Obama.  Ten percent said it made them less likely to support the senator.

Regardless of how the coming presidential primaries and the national election turn out, celebrity endorsements will continue to be a prominent feature of US presidential campaigns.  Americans love their celebrities even if they don’t necessarily look to them for advice on how to choose a president. 

Americans may be more inclined to elect a celebrity to public office (Reagan, Schwarzenegger) for their own positions on issues than they are to accept their endorsement of a candidate.  Oprah may be more likely to be elected to public office herself, if she ever chooses to run, than to persuade people to vote for Obama.

The one thing the most successful Democratic and Republican political operatives all agree on: don’t underestimate the American voter.  They know that when it comes to choosing a president, celebrity endorsements are nice, but Americans tend to vote for presidential candidates based on the issues, the candidate’s character, and his or her ability to lead, not on celebrity endorsements.

American presidential politics has always been great entertainment.  Whether they affect the outcomes or not, celebrity endorsements just make it more so.