Scientific American magazine has endorsed its first presidential candidate in its 175-year span of being an apolitical science organization. The magazine backs Joe Biden to take the White House in November to become the 46th President of the United States. The move is interesting given it’s the publication’s first-ever overtly political endorsement, but celebrities have been endorsing candidates for years. Those looking to bet on political outcomes need to consider a lot – from opinion polls to media – but how important is it to look at celebrity endorsements?
When finding events to wager on during political betting one of the most important is on who the next US President will be – and Kanye West remains an outside chance at 500/1 odds. The outside chance, who is almost certainly not going to become the next president, represents how influential the celebrity endorsement could be. West endorsed himself, after previously supporting Donald Trump, and while too late to be featured on many ballots, having missed registration deadlines, he may receive several write-ins, symbolizing how important celebrity endorsements are.
Indeed, Joe Biden appears to have wracked up dozens of celebrity endorsements: most of Hollywood, the TV industry, and the music industry support the Democratic candidate. From the late Chadwick Boseman to Snoop Dogg, John Legend to LeBron James, Biden has a host of celebrity endorsements. But will they be useful for those who are betting on the outcome? Hillary Clinton received similar support in 2016 – with names such as Beyonce and Jay-Z backing her run – yet, she failed to achieve the presidency.
Trump isn’t without his own celebrity endorsements, either. Former Superman Dean Cain, Bond villain Robert Davi, Frasier actor Kelsey Grammer, and actors Dennis Quaid and James Woods are among Trump’s vocal celebrity backers. But as many of his eventual voters pointed out, having the ‘liberal elite’ of Hollywood tell them who to vote for in 2016 pushed them to rebel and vote for Trump. So, having endorsements isn’t necessarily always useful.
Political bettors should consider celebrity endorsements to be somewhat of a bellwether when it comes to who might win and who they should bet on. While endorsements of celebrities don’t always speak for Middle America, they do speak for professions and ways of life. NFL players and musicians are worlds away from the celebrity politicians who unite to back one candidate, so it could give a good idea of what the general feeling is in the country.
Political bettors should use all the information at their disposal when deciding who to place their bet on. Celebrity endorsements are one way to analyze the mood of the public. But as some Frasier fans were aghast at Kelsey Grammer voting for Trump and some Willie Nelson fans disgruntled to see him backing Biden, it’s clear that celebrities don’t always speak for their fans. While celebrity endorsements can show general support for one candidate over another, as with Kanye West’s entry, they could also end up leading to nothing, no matter how rich and powerful the celebrity is.
