Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president — will it matter?

On Tuesday night, Taylor Swift made a much-anticipated endorsement – she’s backing Vice President Harris for President. “She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”

Last month, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump reposted an AI-generated image of the pop star wearing an Uncle Sam outfit, in which he accepted her seeming endorsement of his campaign. The post appeared on the politician's Truth Social network. (He's since denied he knows anything about the images.)

But Swift wrote that this incident conjured up her fears around AI, and spurred her to share her "actual plans for this election as a voter." Back when Trump posted the AI image, we took a look at the history of celebrity endorsements and their effects. You can read that story here:

Why celebrity endorsements matter

Celebrity endorsements are as much a thing in politics as they are in consumer products.

"Celebrities draw increased engagement, increased attention, and they increase conversation," said Ashley Spillane, the author of a new study from Harvard’s Kennedy School on celebrity engagement in politics — focusing on civic participation. "And no matter the political party or the candidate, there is a real hunger to be affiliated with the celebrities that can do that."

Spillane said her research shows you don’t have to be a star as big as Swift to influence voters.

"Some of the other folks with a smaller base were having just as significant an impact because they have an incredibly engaged base of support as well," she said.

There’s a long