Addy Al-Saigh, 19, woke up on the evening of September 10 to a notification on her phone that read “Taylor Swift just posted a post.” On her Instagram account with more than 280 million followers, the singer announced her support for Kamala Harris in this year’s White House race, right after the debate between her and Donald Trump ended.

“Taylor Swift has such an impact on so many people and it’s important that she speaks out. I’m proud of her for doing so,” said Al-Saigh, a student in Virginia. “I hope it will encourage more people to register to vote and that more people will speak out.”

Swift explained that she supported Ms. Harris because the 59-year-old female politician “fights for what is right” and America needs “a warrior” like the Vice President. “I think she is a strong, talented leader and the country will achieve more if it is led by calm instead of chaos,” the singer commented.

According to observers, Swift’s support for Harris will have a certain impact on this year’s White House race, but perhaps not to the extent many people expect.

According to CNN , Ms. Harris has a net support of 15 percentage points among voters under 30, higher than President Joe Biden’s 7 percentage points before he dropped out of the race in July. Net support is the difference between the rate of support and disapproval in the survey.

However, these numbers are worse than when Mr. Biden ran for the 2020 election. The Democratic representative’s net support in September 2020 was 25 percentage points, then increased to 29 percentage points in the poll close to the election day.

In January, a Newsweek poll found that 18 percent of voters said they were “more likely” to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.

Swift’s statement will resonate with Americans under 35, as about 30% of that group say they’re more likely to vote for someone Swift supports. A 2023 Morning Consult poll found that more than half of Swift’s fan base (Swifties) identify as Democrats. The other half is evenly split between Republicans and independents.

“The key to the 2024 presidential election is getting more voters to the ballot box,” said Linda Bloss-Baum, a professor of government at American University in Washington. “The new votes could come from younger voters who have not been interested in previous elections.”

Bloss-Baum said many students have sought out information on how to register to vote because “they are proud to be Swifties.” The instructor cautioned against underestimating the power of celebrity, adding that Swift sold more than 4.3 million tickets in the US for her Eras Tour last year.

“Swift’s connection to an entire generation surpasses that of any other artist. The millions of likes on Swift’s post within minutes show that fans are ready to support her, and possibly Harris,” Bloss-Baum added. “Swift’s post received nearly 10 million likes. A fraction of those likes, if translated into votes for Harris, could influence the outcome of the November election.”

As of 2 p.m. on September 11, more than 330,000 people had visited the official U.S. government voter registration page via the link in Swift’s post, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Analysis from the Washington Post showed that Google searches for how to register to vote spiked after Swift’s post.

Not everyone who visits is registered to vote, though. Assuming everyone does, that would represent just 0.2% of the 2020 electorate. But with Democrats struggling to reach young voters, any help they can get is important.

“This support is important, especially in close states,” said Democratic strategist David Thomas.

Republican strategist Doug Heye agreed, saying Swift’s endorsement would help Democrats reach younger voters and boost fundraising efforts.

In 2018, Swift endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen in his Senate race against Republican Marsha Blackburn, posting a statement on her Instagram account with 112 million followers. However, Bredesen lost to Blackburn.

But when Swift endorsed Mr Biden in 2020, he won.

Some surveys show that voters are generally not influenced by celebrity comments, but voter turnout increases after celebrities speak out, according to a study by Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, in August.

In fact, Mr. Trump also received support from many celebrities in this year’s race, such as country singer Jason Aldean, Billy Ray Cyrus, rappers Kanye West, Azealia Banks, Gazzy Garcia.

Celebrity endorsements “don’t affect voters who have strong party loyalties, and most voters fall into that category,” said Richard T Longoria, associate professor of American politics at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

However, Longoria points out that celebrities can influence a small group of people who are not interested in politics or are voting for the first time. “In tight elections, that can be the deciding factor,” Longoria emphasizes.

Student Al-Saigh said she wants her school’s Swift fan club to volunteer during election season, like helping people register to vote.

“Taylor Swift is such a huge global phenomenon that if she cares about something, it matters,” Al-Saigh said. “That’s what I think, and a lot of other people feel the same way.”

However, it is also worth remembering that Trump himself is a celebrity.

“If he wasn’t a reality TV star, he wouldn’t be president,” said Scott Talan, a communications professor at American University.