The American youth is mesmerized by the celebrity world. Thanks to social media and other outlets the youth are able to connect with their favorite celebs in an easier way. We keep up with their day-to-day lives so much, it seems as if we know everything about them. Their decisions have a huge impact on our lives. We look to them for the latest fashion trends, new music suggestions, and health tips. However, do they have an influence in our politics?

Nowadays there is a connection between celebrities and politicians. Darrel West told CBS News ,”You have celebrities who raise money and endorse candidates. You have politicians who appear on entertainment shows. So there’s a lot of interchange between Hollywood and national politics.”

Celebrities heavily endorse their preferred presidential candidates. So, these endorsements have an affect on voters? Aiyana Brooks mentioned to Examiner.com that, ” It is fair to say that celebrities do attract a lot of attention, and the right attention can help to better spread a candidate’s message to potential voters.”

This was the case when Oprah Winfrey, one of the most powerful women in the world, endorsed Barack Obama’s 2007 presidential campaign. This also brought upon America’s attention due to the fact it was the first time she ever promoted a political candidate.

Oprah has a history of endorsing other products that subsequently sky rocketed in sales because of her it up.  So did her endorsements of Obama help his campaign just like they helped other products?

Craig Garthwaite and Tim Moore, two economists at the University of Maryland, conducted a study on Oprah’s influence in Obama’s 2008 election win. The study shows that Winfrey’s endorsement was responsible for 1,015,559 votes for Obama. The study continued to prove that “Winfrey’s endorsement was responsible for the difference in the popular vote.”

Valerie R. O’Regan, a student at California State University concluded in a study that “the average citizen is more likely to listen to a celebrity than a politician, academic, expert or scientist. ”

Aiyanna Brooks wrote, “A Forbes.com study conducted in 2007 found that respondents (all 18 years or older) said they would react favorably to a political endorsement by Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, and George Clooney, and negatively to an endorsement by Donald Trump, Rosie O’Donell, or Madonna.”

So, if your favorite celebrity was voting for a certain candidate, would this affect your voting choice?

Julia Lusteadauder ’16 says, “It would affect my vote because I respect that person, and since I do not know that much about politics, if a celebrity was voting for a certain candidate I would probably follow.”

On the other hand, Julia Wise ’16 says, “I would acknowledge my favorite celebrity’s choice and it definitely brings more of an exposure to that candidate, but it wouldn’t completely change my vote if someone I look up to was voting against the person I want. Its not that important to me.”

While famous people do affect the way we think politically, it remains to be proven if their endorsements are the reason for the success of certain candidates.