There is still plenty to debate about the effectiveness of political endorsements by entertainers. 2016 demonstrated that a unified Hollywood was not able to make a dent in President Trump’s momentum. Some say their incessant crying actually riled up more Trump supporters than Hillary Clinton supporters.
The latest major entertainer to throw her hat in the political endorsement arena is singer Taylor Swift. She stayed focus on her home state of Tennessee by endorsing Phil Bredesen for Senate. That was a week ago. How has the endorsement played in the polls?
Let’s just say the Bredesen campaign is trying to stay positive by pointing to internal polling since public polling is abysmal.
Tennessee Senate race poll: Marsha Blackburn leads Phil Bredesen
Republican nominee Marsha Blackburn has widened her lead to a commanding 14 percentage points over Democratic rival Phil Bredesen, according to the latest major public poll of Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race.
But the Bredesen campaign is pushing back in a memo to supporters that highlights recent internal polls taken by the campaign that show the race is still tight.
There has been plenty working against Bredesen since an October 3 poll put him at down by 5-points. He faced backlash for claiming he would have voted for Brett Kavanaugh to be confirmed. Then, an undercover video by Project Veritas revealed his staffers and volunteers claiming he didn’t really mean it. The combination of lies, bad press, and Swift’s endorsement have made his poll numbers plummet.
Two weeks ago, @MarshaBlackburn had a 5-point lead over Phil Bredesen.
Last week, Taylor Swift endorsed Bredesen.
Today's poll gives Blackburn a 14-point lead.
America thanks you, Taylor Swift.
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) October 15, 2018
Entertainers should entertain. They are entitled to their opinions, of course, but attempts to use their clout to sway politics is only effective if they take the time to get directly involved. Most do not.
