Ray Mariano: When celebrities endorse causes - and candidates

I’ve never been all that impressed by someone’s celebrity. Oh sure, I have favorite athletes that I cheer for on various athletic fields, and favorite actors and actresses whose films I enjoy watching. But off the field or the big screen, they’re just like everyone else — at least to me.

However, judging from the lines of people lining up to get a picture of their favorite star or clamoring for an autograph, plenty of people disagree with me. More to the point, they listen when a celebrity endorses a product or a candidate for office.

I think that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history. But when I heard that Brady displayed a Trump hat in his locker at Foxborough, it didn’t change my opinion about Trump or stop me from cheering for Tom on Sundays.

And I would never buy State Farm home or car insurance just because Patrick Mahomes is one of their spokespersons. Instead, I rely on the Mark Mobilio Insurance Agency on Shrewsbury Street to help me make those choices. Mark’s no Denzel Washington, but I trust his judgment.

Nevertheless, millions of Americans put their favorite celebrities on a pedestal and listen to their choice of products or politicians as if they have some special insight.

Costas Panagopoulos, who chairs the political science department at Northeastern University and is the editor of the American Politics Research Journal, said that in close races celebrity endorsements can make a difference. He said that the endorsement is especially helpful when an endorser speaks to a specific audience — people of color, young people, women as examples — that might identify with the celebrity. Panagopoulos said that undecided voters, those who haven’t taken the time to research the candidates, and unenrolled voters are most likely to be influenced.

Shut up and dribble

Even though I’m not influenced by the opinions of athletes and actors, I believe that they have every right to speak about issues that are important to them or endorse whatever candidate they feel reflects their values.

None of this is new. Musicians have been writing and performing songs that comment on societal conditions for generations. And actors and actresses have been endorsing candidates since before I was born. Their celebrity gives them a platform and they have every right to use it.

But the response of the candidates has changed. In recent years, political candidates and pundits have gone out of their way to attack any celebrity, especially professional athletes, who dares to support the other side.

In 2018, Fox News host Laura Ingraham blasted NBA All-Star LeBron James for talking about race and criticizing Donald Trump during an ESPN interview. An outraged Ingraham told him to “keep the political comments to yourself…Shut up and dribble.”

In 2020, tennis star Naomi Osaka won the U.S. Open and faced harsh criticism for wearing seven different masks during the tournament with the names of Black victims of violence, including the name of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot and killed in Cleveland by a white police officer.

For raising their voice, public figures can face consequences. When a celebrity speaks out about a cause or a candidate important to them, they could be risking their career. If you don’t believe me, just ask Colin Kaepernick.

Taylor Swift

Most celebrity endorsements won’t significantly impact an election. But there are a few whose influence is so impactful that their support can really move the needle. In 2007 when Oprah Winfrey endorsed Barack Obama, it got everyone’s attention. Some experts have estimated that her endorsement was worth more than a million votes in the Democratic primary.

Now it seems that everyone is talking about Taylor Swift. The young megastar is one of the most visible entertainers in the world. Personally, I don’t care that she’s dating a football player. And I don’t need to see her cheering at the games. I think they should leave her alone. But I do care that she’s using her voice to make a difference.

In 2023, Swift posted a short message on Instagram encouraging her 272 million followers to register to vote (by comparison, Trump has less than half as many followers). Thereafter, the website that she directed them to — the nonprofit Vote.org — reported a 1,226% jump in participation, thousands of new registered voters, in the first hour after her post.

Among young voters and especially young women, Taylor Swift is a force. Consequently, Republicans are worried that she may endorse President Joe Biden’s reelection. Fox News commentators Sean Hannity and Jeanine Pirro very publicly warned her against endorsing Biden.

Some advisers close to the Trump campaign have threatened to use her endorsement of Biden to crank up the volume on culture wars and promised a “holy war” if she dares to go against Trump. Former presidential candidate and current nut job Vivek Ramaswamy took to X (Twitter) to promote an absurd conspiracy that unnamed forces would rig the Super Bowl to give Swift and her Kansas City Chiefs boyfriend Travis Kelce a win. I guess they think that’s some sort of payoff for the endorsement.

Look, as I said, these endorsements mean absolutely nothing to me. But I have to say that I admire those with the courage to speak up on issues that matter to them — issues of race, gender, gun violence, climate change and even support for particular candidates. They do so knowing they may face consequences. And if their voice encourages someone to register to vote or to turn out on Election Day, our democracy is the winner.

Email Raymond V. Mariano at rmariano.telegram@gmail.com. He served four terms as mayor of Worcester and previously served on the City Council and School Committee. He grew up in Great Brook Valley and holds degrees from Worcester State College and Clark University. He was most recently executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority. His column appears weekly in the Sunday Telegram. His endorsements do not necessarily reflect the position of the Telegram & Gazette.

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