The role of surrogates in a presidential election is both simple and crucial- to amplify support of a candidate or campaign message. They can say things that the candidate feels uncomfortable saying, speak to audiences, and aid in fund-raising.
Rewind a few decades and you find little Hillary volunteering for political campaigns at the astonishing age of 13. Adored by teachers. Voted most likely to succeed in high school. Graduating with honors in the top 10% of her class. She’s been a raging success for the entirety of her life- a token child, soaring above the rest- and perhaps for that reason, she is just not relatable to millennials. She’s not cool, she’s not hip. She’s “most likely to succeed…” that girl…
Luckily, Clinton has a multitude of #hip #trendy celebrities that are publicly “with her” because they can be extremely influential in attracting millennial votes- especially if these surrogates are themselves included in this generation. For example, the following young actresses and musicians had active roles in the Democratic National Convention: Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Lena Dunham, America Ferrera, Elizabeth Banks, Sarah Silverman, and Demi Lovato. These big names functioned to show millennials how cool Hillary was and to say, “I may be ‘most likely to succeed,’ but I’m still friends with all the popular kids.” It gave her ‘coolness credibility’ among the younger vote.
…Hillary’s #1!
There are dozens of other celebrities that publicly support Hillary via social media, apparel, fundraisers. Here are some big names whose support speaks volumes to millennials:
Lena Dunham– actress, writer, producer, director, activist, and proud Hillary supporter. She gave a speech at the DNC, conducted an interview with Hillary for her widely received newsletter, and clearly has some pretty loud Hillary garb. She shared the ph0to above on her Instagram.
Lady Gaga- singer, songwriter, and actress. Gaga posted an Instagram of herself in an American flag swimsuit with a caption that says “#HILLARY2016 Nothing can keep a strong woman down. VOTE for the first female U.S. president in history. Shake it up America, this country needs a little rock n’ roll.” It received 365,000 likes. Hillary posted the Instagram of them pictured above.
Kim Kardashian- reality television personality, socialite, businesswoman, and model. Attends fundraisers for Hillary, and tweeted this picture (to her nearly 50 million followers) with her with the caption “I got my selfie!!! I really loved hearing her speak & hearing her goals for our country!” #HillaryForPresident”
Each of these celebrities and countless others are beloved by millennials. Though a simple social media post may seem insignificant, they reach thousands and thousands of young voters. And they are extremely important. Hillary’s campaign is greatly benefitted by the use of these celebrity surrogates because they function to convince millennials that Clinton is in fact #hip and #trendy because she has these celebrities by her side, taking selfies with her. I believe she will see positive results on her poll numbers if she gets more publicity of this sort.
I think you did a really great job incorporating the class concept of surrogates and putting it into perspective concerning the actual election. I agree that these famous celebrities are a positive aid in Hillary’s appeal to millennials, however, I still do wonder just how influential they can be. Hillary is lacking in showing the younger generation that she cares for them and their futures, and a selfie with Kim K. really doesn’t prove much to me as an educated college student. I think she needs to do more to show the younger generation what policies she is going to implement specifically to better our futures. I’m honestly more swayed by the support of people like Michelle Obama than I am by Lady GaGa. But I do also agree that a large portion of our generation could be convinced by these famous celebrities due to the position they hold in pop culture.
I loved how you incorporated pop culture’s endorsement and the significance of which candidate they endorse. The impact they have in their proclamations of political alignment is often much overlooked. When LeBron James endorsed Hillary Clinton, Hillary’s Twitter retweeted his tweet of endorsement. LeBron is such a pivotal figure in such a pivotal state, and it could be the deciding factor in the state of Ohio. It influences the African-American community as well, inside and outside of the state, as they idolize one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Celebrity endorsements are truly influential whenever they are given to a candidate, and should not be overlooked.