Hollywood’s biggest donors and political influencers have started to get under President Biden’s skin, but Vice President Harris is about to see his softer side after launching her bid for the White House.
“There’s a new excitement — Hollywood celebrities are lining up behind Kamala as if she’s the second coming,” Donald Critchlow, professor of political history and director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University, told ITK.
After intense pressure from Democratic lawmakers and high-profile figures like “Ocean’s Eleven” star George Clooney, Biden dropped out of the 2024 race on Sunday and endorsed Harris.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to step aside and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden, 81, said in a statement.
Since then, Harris has raised tens of millions of dollars in fundraising and secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party’s nominee before November.
Some of Biden’s biggest celebrity supporters — including Barbra Streisand, Eva Longoria and “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill — praised Biden’s decision and announced they were supporting Harris.
“I believe in Kamala Harris and I believe in our collective effort to organize and win!” former star of “Desperate Housewives” Longoria wroteon the social networks.
“I am very grateful to President Biden and very excited to support Kamala Harris,” Streisand said ina statement to The New York Times.
Hamill called the vice president “the candidate who will honor and promote [Biden’s] legacy”, writing the hashtag “HamillHeartsHarris”on social platform.
“There may be a different momentum now that Kamala Harris has entered the race,” said Mark Harvey, a professor at Saint Mary’s University.
“Now we have a younger person who I think is seen by many as maybe a little more outgoing, maybe a little nicer than ‘old Joe Biden.’ I think this will probably draw more celebrities toward him,” said Harvey, the 59-year-old author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-Based Advocacy.”
Biden already had a bevy of entertainers behind him: Clooney last month hosted a star-studded campaign fundraiser introducing Julia Roberts and Jimmy Kimmel to the commander in chief, before urging him to drop out of the race in a New York Times op-ed published earlier this month. But experts say Harris’s candidacy could reignite Hollywood’s support, both financially and through public opinion.
“I don’t think they had any choice in supporting Harris after raising money for Biden and then stabbing him in the back by joining an orchestrated campaign to force him out of the race – so they have to put their money where their mouth is.” mouths,” said Critchlow, who wrote the book, “When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Moguls, Movie Stars, and Big Business Redesigned American Politics.”
Clooney, in a statement to ITK this week, said: “We are all very excited to do everything we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic request.”
According to Harvey, celebrities probably don’t “make a big difference in terms of election results,” but where they can have an impact is when they exert their immense money-raising charm.
“They make a difference in terms of fundraising, and that’s where [Democrats] can gain a differential advantage,” said Harvey.
But another area where Hollywood could make a difference is re-energizing young voters.
Just hours after launching her presidential bid, Harris received a lift from Charli XCX, who nicknamed the vice president a “brat,” a compliment tied to the singer’s latest hit album of the same name.
“I think there will be a cool factor where a lot of these Hollywood people will start to be a little more public, maybe in the way they express themselves,” Harvey said.
But appealing to and receiving praise from younger celebrities can only get a candidate so far, Critchlow warned, citing the wave of A-list support that former President Obama enjoyed during his White House runs.
“Despite all the talk about the youth crusade, the youth vote only rose a few points in their first electoral candidacy and then fell significantly. [in 2012]” said Critchlow.
“What’s critical for Democrats is the Midwest, and I don’t think young black and white workers are going to vote because they have some young Hollywood celebrities who supported Harris.”
While a handful of stars have embraced former President Trump’s effort to win back the White House – professional wrestler great Hulk Hogan and “American Bad Ass” singer Kid Rock took the stage at last week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee – Critchlow said there is an opportunity for the 45th president’s camp to criticize Harris for appearing to pander to left-leaning celebrities.
Trump’s team, he said, could portray the vice president as “part of that elite in Washington and just hang Hollywood around their necks as much as possible.”
However, Saint Mary’s University’s Harvey said, “I think Kamala Harris getting more money is a threat to the Trump campaign.”
Hollywood, like politics, can be unpredictable and it’s unclear whether the showbiz momentum will sustain Harris until November. But for now, celebrity fervor for Harris’ campaign is akin to a blockbuster opening weekend.
“There’s a momentum that happens at certain points in campaigns – a measurable point where certain things in the media line up in a certain way, and people get energetic, and one candidate or another has this momentum that pushes and carries forward,” Harvey said. , “and in recent days, Harris has had that momentum.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
