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Harris leans on A-list, Trump on world’s richest man in US election homestretch

Celebrity endorsements can amplify messages but may have mixed effects on voter turnout

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Rapper Eminem and former president Barack Obama at a campaign rally for Kamala Harris. Photo: AP

Kamala Harris has Bruce Springsteen and Eminem. Donald Trump has the world’s richest man. But will it make any difference on Election Day?

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Celebrity endorsements do little to sway voter opinion, experts say, and polls show only a sliver of the electorate have yet to make up their mind before the November 5 vote.

But big names appearing at campaign events help to grab headlines and boost enthusiasm among key groups, which could spur higher turnout or motivate more early voting – as millions have already done.

With two weeks to go, “your real goal right now has to be to get your audience, your voters to show up,” Megan Duncan, a communications professor at Virginia Tech, said.

Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Dana White, Elon Musk and Jon Voight. Photo: AFP
Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Dana White, Elon Musk and Jon Voight. Photo: AFP

In an election expected to be decided by razor thin margins in a handful of states, any marginal lift could prove decisive.

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