In the heated political climate of the current presidential race, several high-profile figures have thrown their support behind the candidates.
Among these are former President Obama, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pop sensation Taylor Swift, and tech mogul Elon Musk. However, the question remains whether these endorsements will significantly sway the electorate.
According to a recent Fox News survey, Obama, Kennedy, and Swift are the only individuals among nine tested figures, including the current presidential and vice presidential candidates, to receive net positive personal ratings. Obama leads the pack with a net positive rating of +10 points (55% favorable vs. 45% unfavorable). However, this is a significant drop from his +28-point rating in May 2020. Kennedy follows closely with a +7 net positive rating, while Swift holds a +3 positive rating.
Obama has been actively campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris, and Swift publicly endorsed her in September. Kennedy, who withdrew from the presidential race in August, has thrown his support behind former President Trump. Elon Musk, the business magnate and CEO of SpaceX, has also endorsed Trump. However, Musk's personal rating is underwater by 4 points.
The survey reveals that those with a favorable view of Obama support Harris by a margin of 61 points, while Swift's fans back her by 49 points. On the other hand, voters with a favorable view of Musk support Trump by a whopping 67 points, and Kennedy's supporters back Trump by 45 points.
Interestingly, the current presidential and vice presidential candidates fare worse than their high-profile endorsers. Harris is underwater by 5 points, while Trump holds a negative 4 rating. However, Trump's rating has improved from his -8 rating in September, while Harris' numbers have worsened from her -2 net favorability a month ago.
The survey also reveals that at least 7 in 10 Democrats have a favorable view of Obama, Harris, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, President Biden, and Swift. Conversely, at least 7 in 10 Republicans have a favorable view of Trump, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, Musk, and Kennedy. The only individual receiving a majority favorable rating among independents is Obama.
The survey also highlights a significant gender divide in political preferences. At least half of men have positive opinions of Kennedy, Trump, and Musk, while for women, it's Swift and Harris who garner favor.
The survey also touched on the state of political debate in the U.S. In August, 70% of voters felt that the political debate was overheated and dangerous, while a quarter said it was heated but healthy. These figures remain unchanged. However, there has been a shift in who voters blame for the state of things. The gap between those blaming the Republican Party and the Democratic Party has shrunk to just 2 points today, with key groups across the board now more likely to point to Democrats.
The survey was conducted from Oct. 11-14 under the direction of Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research. It included interviews with a sample of 1,110 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. The results based on both the full registered voter sample and the subsample of 870 likely voters have a margin of sampling error of 3 percentage points.
While these figures provide a snapshot of the current political climate, it remains to be seen how these high-profile endorsements will impact the final outcome of the presidential race.
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