Christian Smith
With the 2024 general election less than six months away, both President Biden and former President Trump will be eyeing critical endorsements that could put them over the top come November.
Although experts and voters have raised questions about the influence of these endorsements, figures who are popular within a party or the country at large can act as important surrogates for candidates. Although most major Democrats and Republicans have already supported their party’s presumptive candidates, several other important endorsements could emerge in the coming months.
Here are some key endorsements to watch out for this year.
Taylor Swift
Perhaps one of the most anticipated potential endorsements of the 2024 cycle is for an individual outside of politics who Forbes called one of the “most powerful women” in the world.
Taylor Swift has achieved international superstar status in recent years, selling out shows in the United States and around the world. And Swift has occasionally ventured into political advocacy.
Swift supported Biden for president just before the 2020 election, saying he believed Biden and now-Vice President Harris would begin a “healing process” for the country.
She also spoke out against Trump before Election Day 2020, blaming his “ineffective leadership” for the worsening COVID-19 pandemic and “taking advantage of it to subvert and destroy our right to vote.”
Biden’s campaign would have been actively seeking Swift’s endorsementand her support could give him a much-needed boost in enthusiasm among younger voters.
Beyonce
Another superstar outside of politics with as much influence as Swift is Beyoncé. Already holding the record for most Grammy wins of any artist, she has earned even more praise, along with some backlash, for her expansion into country music with her most recent album, “Cowboy Carter.”
Beyoncé has been more active in politics than Swift. She and her husband, Jay-Z, helped raise millions of dollars for Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign and both performed in a concert supporting Hillary Clinton just before Election Day 2016.
Beyoncé supported Biden shortly before the 2020 election, posting on Instagram a photo of herself wearing a Biden-Harris mask and an “I Voted” sticker on a hat.
If she continues her past support of leading Democratic candidates, it could also attract the younger voters Biden needs. It could also help increase interest among black voters, as many polls show the president There is room to improve with the enthusiasm levels of this key demographic.
Nikki Haley
One of the most unexpected developments in the 2024 race was Nikki Haley holding off — at least for now — on supporting Trump for re-election.
Haley notably avoided endorsing Trump when she suspended her campaign in March after weeks of growing intensity between the two candidates. Since then, she has received a not insignificant number of votes in the primaries following his departure.
She received double-digit percentages of support in several states, including the key swing states of Arizona and Pennsylvania, and in some cases approached 20 percent.
Biden sought to capitalize on that, with some social media posts and at least one ad aimed at Haley’s supporters.
Trump rejected Haley’s primary votes. But she remains the most prominent former Republican presidential candidate who has not yet endorsed him. If she avoids supporting him, her supporters could be even more at odds.
Chris Christie
From a close ally to one of Trump’s main opponents, Chris Christie entered the 2024 race already refusing to commit to supporting Trump if he became the nominee.
He said in February that he would not vote for Trump “under any circumstances.” He has kept the door open to supporting Biden but signaled he is not yet ready to commit.
Christie said last month that Biden I hadn’t been in touch for him since dropping out to ask for his support, which he said Biden should still do.
He wondered if Biden’s team was advising him against it, to avoid losing progressives in his coalition. A Biden campaign spokesperson pointed to the campaign ad trying court non-Trump GOP voters in response.
Although Christie’s presidential campaign hasn’t gained much traction, he still represents a faction of never-Trump Republicans, some of whom supported Biden four years ago. An endorsement from Christie could help Biden maintain and even expand his support for this group.
Mitt Romney
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has been one of the most willing congressional Republicans to criticize Trump in either chamber and has said he will not support Trump this year.
He voted write-in for his wife during the 2016 race and avoided voting for Trump again in 2020. He told MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle in an interview this month that he would not vote for Trump, saying character is the main issue for him.
So far, he has not signaled that he would support Biden. But he also did not rule out this possibility and said that the United States can “survive bad policies”, but it cannot survive someone with bad character governing the country.
Romney had previously indicated he would write again on his wife’s behalf this year.
Truckers
An endorsement from the Teamsters, one of the country’s largest labor unions, could have major influence with core working-class voters in some key battleground states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Teamsters officials have met with several 2024 presidential candidates, including Biden, Trump and independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Union president Sean O’Brien said after meeting with Biden in March that the union would likely wait even longer close to the elections to give an endorsement.
But O’Brien praised Biden’s support for unions, and the Teamsters supported Biden in 2020 after having supported Hillary Clinton and Obama in recent election years.
Meanwhile, Trump has been trying to make inroads among union members, hoping they can put him over the top in the states he needs to win.
The Teamsters’ coveted endorsement could be a determining factor in how these states vote.
