A new poll shows that the vast majority of Americans are rejecting celebrity endorsements of political candidates — a blow to Democrats who have come to increasingly rely on Hollywood influencers to sway young voters and amplify left-wing talking points on social media.
For the recent presidential election, a full 75 percent of survey respondents said a celebrity’s endorsement of a candidate made no difference or not much of a difference on how they voted, according to the new Rasmussen poll released Monday.
Surprisingly, respondents who identify as liberal were more likely than others to disregard the opinion of a celebrity, with a full 80 percent saying a Hollywood endorsement didn’t sway their decision this election season. Among conservatives, that figure was 73 percent.
The results come on the heels of Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump after Harris actively courted Hollywood celebrities and other entertainment industry elites — even going so far as the spend tens of millions of dollars on pop concerts and promotional events like the Oprah Winfrey town hall livestream.
The series of election-eve concerts in key swing states cost the Harris campaign as much as $20 million, helping push the campaign into debt after it blew through $1 billion raised by donors. The Oprah live stream reportedly cost $2.5 million to produce.
Among the numerous stars to endorse Kamala Harris were Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Katy Perry, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, and Harrison Ford. The final weeks of the campaign saw an especially massive blitz of star power for Kamala Harris, giving the appearance of a massive popular surge for the candidate.
But in the end, the abundance of celebrities failed to push Harris across the finish line, with Trump winning all seven swing states on his way to victory on November 5.
The Rasmussen poll surveyed 1260 likely voters and was conducted November 17 to 19.
Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg. Have a tip? Contact me at
