Aubrey Plaza, Stevie Nicks, more follow Taylor Swift in endorsements and urging people to vote
Stevie Nicks encouraged fans to register to vote in a social media post she signed “Love, Stevie Nicks, Childless Dog Lady” the morning after Taylor Swift "Childless Cat Lady" endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
While Nicks didn't endorse a candidate, she did praise her friend Swift’s political message. Nicks is the latest celebrity to get political - either endorsing a candidate, or urging fans to register and vote.
The post included a picture of Nicks and her adorable little dog, Lily, and paid homage to Swift's Instagram endorsement which featured a photo of Swift with her cat Benjamin Button from her TIME Magazine Person of the Year photoshoot.
Continuing the "cat lady chain" is actress Aubrey Plaza, who posted a photo of herself and Grumpy Cat on Wednesday morning with the caption, "HARRIS us WALZ."
The “Childless Dog Lady” quip is a reference to comments Trump's running mate JD Vance made in an interview with Fox News in 2021 questioning Democratic leaders, including Harris, who don’t have biological children. Vance referred to Democrats as “a bunch of childless cat ladies" who he said had no stake in the country's future.
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Swift wrote, in part: "I'm voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos."
Read Taylor Swift's full statementThe popstar endorsed Kamala Harris after the first presidential debate of 2024.
Do celebrity endorsements matter in a presidential election?
This post is Swift's first public endorsement for Harris.
After years of keeping mostly quiet in regard to politics, Swift made her stance clear in 2018, when she publicly endorsed democratic U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen of Tennessee. She gave fans and viewers further insight into her political views in her 2020 Netflix documentary "Miss Americana," and later endorsed President Joe Biden in his bid for election in 2020.
Swift's post has been met with millions of likes which include several celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Selena Gomez, Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston and more.
A recent poll shows that celebrity endorsement don't appear to have much influence in politics, and could even hurt a candidate, according to a Suffolk University/USA TODAY national poll of registered voters.
Just 3% of voters said a Swift or Beyoncé endorsement would influence them “a lot” while 89% said Swift’s endorsement would not matter at all or make them less likely to support the candidate. This poll asked the question of registered voters, not of Swift or other celebrity fans.
Celebrity support for Kamala Harris
Several other celebrities have expressed their support for Harris since July 21, when President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris. Some of these celebrity endorsements include:
- John Legend, who posted his endorsement of the vice president on social media on July 21.
- The DNC had celebrity hosts every night during its convention in Chicago, including Tony Goldwyn Ana Navarro, Mindy Kaling and Kerry Washington. Attendees andperformers included Common, Eva Longoria, Stevie Wonder, Pink, The Chicks and more.
- Chali XCX who simply posted on X, "kamala IS brat."
- Also on July 21, Spike Lee posted a photo of Harris on Instagram, captioning the post, "Once again a sista comes to da rescue."
- Goerge Clooney expressed his support for Harris in a statement to CNN on July 23, in which he said, "President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He's saving democracy once again. We're all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest."
- Singer Barbra Streisand posted her support for Harris on X in July alongside a list of the Biden and Harris administration's accomplishments, stating, "Kamala Harris will continue Joe Biden's work and will be a great president."
- Actress Viola Davis has extended her support to Harris multiple times on social media, posting on Instagram after Tuesday's debate, "Tonight ... I saw hope. I saw a leader that will not leave the 51.1% of women, elderly, working poor ... behind. I saw dignity, kindness and inclusiveness ... I saw the next President of the United States Kamala Harris ... and I was proud."
- Ariana Grande has expressed her support for Harris multiple times on social media, reposting Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris' Instagram posts following the Tuesday debate to her own Instagram story.
Celebrity support for Donald Trump
Trump has also received his fair share of celebrity endorsements, multiple of which supported him in person at the Republican National Convention in July.
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Some of the celebrities who have publicly supported Trump include:
- Kid Rock was also in attendance at the RNC, posting his arrival to Milwaukee on Instagram on July 18.
- Hulk Hogan made an "intense" speech at the RNC, tearing off his shirt to reveal a Trump campaign shirt underneath.
- Jason Aldean has also expressed public support for Trump, posting on Instagram, "This is what a warrior looks like! This is MY guy us," following the assassination attempt on Trump in July.
- Lil Pump shared his support for Trump in a video in July in which he said, "We've seen the mess that you and Biden Created in the last three years, and the only person who can clean it up is Donald Trump, baby." Last week, he posted a photo on Instagram of him in American flag-themed overalls with the caption, "TRUMP 202024."
Contributing: Ed Masley, David Paleologos, Jay Stahl