Celeb Influence: Young Voters Reveal 2024 Picks

As part of a recent poll, young voters identified which celebrity endorsements would be most likely to influence their vote in the 2024 election.

Challengers actress Zendaya’s endorsement holds the most weight with voters ages 18-30, the Blueprint poll found, while pop star Taylor Swift didn’t crack the top 20 on the list.

Blueprint’s lead strategist Alyssa Cass described celebrity endorsements as “the Lyft or Uber of campaign tactics” to the Washington Examiner. She explained that “celebrity endorsements are a sign of momentum, and celebrity endorsements drive momentum.”

Young Republicans and Democrats have differing lists

Young Republicans signaled they are most likely to support a candidate endorsed by Kevin Hart, 26%, Taylor Swift, 25%, LeBron James, 24%, Kanye West, 22%, and Lil Wayne, 22%. Their Democratic counterparts, on the other hand, chose Zendaya, 38%, Billie Eilish, 31%, Megan Thee Stallion, 28%, and Dua Lipa, 25%.

Independents of the same age group picked Eminem, 23%, MrBeast, 22%, Tom Holland, 22%, Harry Styles, 20%, and Kendrick Lamar, 19%.

The most influential endorser for young men is LeBron James, 30%, while young women are more influenced by Zendaya, 24%, who is also most influential to those without a college degree, 23%. Her Spiderman co-star Tom Holland is most influential to those with a college degree, with 28% signaling they were more likely to support a candidate if he endorsed them.

Slightly more than 40% of young black voters chose Lil Wayne as a figure whose endorsement would make them more likely to support a candidate, while 40% of young Latinos picked LeBron James.

The full list broken down by ‘Net Impact’

The list of 42 celebrities is ranked in order of Net Impact, which subtracts the negative impact of a celebrity’s endorsement from its positive impact. Zendaya has the highest Net Impact at 17, with 24% saying they would be more likely to support a candidate she endorsed and 7% saying they would be less likely. Jake Paul and Elon Musk had the worst Net Impact, coming in at -16 and -14, respectively.

The figures on the list come from a variety of backgrounds. Some other notable celebrities on the list include athletes such as Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, actors such as Timothee Chalamet and Sydney Sweeney, and music artists such as Eminem and Olivia Rodrigo.

How will celebrity endorsements affect the 2024 race?

Alison Dagnes, chairwoman of Shippensburg University’s Department of Political Science, told the Washington Examiner celebrity endorsements won’t have huge effects on the race between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, but they are worth considering.

“I do think that this could move the needle,” Dagnes said. “Not a huge amount, but a little. And we’re talking about a presidential race where little is a lot.”

Trump is narrowly beating Biden in many recent polls.

She explained that while Biden has had trouble in the polls with young voters this cycle, “if he starts to get famous and adored surrogates out there, that could help move the needle.”

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Dagnes stressed that young voters won’t likely be “swayed to change their vote” based on these endorsements, but they could be swayed to come out and vote instead of staying home on Election Day. “As loud as they are, and as much as they protest, they don’t vote. They just don’t,” she said.

She said that the only candidates that might see a larger percent increase in votes as a result of a celebrity endorsement are third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, who are long shots to win a single state, let alone the election.