Celebrity endorsements can boost presidential candidates' coffers and popularity

When you're stuck behind the velvet ropes of a Hollywood movie premierecompeting against hundreds of other journalists shouting questions at the stars swishing their waydown the red carpet, it's almost impossible to get them to stop. Unless you throw out a question that gets to the heart of an issue they truly care about such as,"Who are you going to vote for?"

"I've been a fan of Hillary since I was in college," saidYvette Nicole Brown, one of the stars of the now-cancelled TV seriesCommunity, at a recentred carpet event when asked.

"I do like Bernie, I think he's got a good heart, and that's important in a politician. But as for me, Hillary's getting my vote."

Actor and comedian Aasif Mandvi wouldn't tell the CBC who's getting his vote, but here's a hint:

"Not Donald Trump," he stage whispered,with ahand covering his mouth."Eventually, hopefully the rest of us sane people will outnumber those people in the general election. That is what we are praying for! Or we're all coming to Canada!"

Hollywood squares: Celebrity support for each candidate

8 years ago

Duration 0:32

Who in Tinseltown is supporting whom?

Republican actorsdo better in office

It's no secret thatHollywood is liberalwith an "l"the size of those inthe Hollywood sign. However, it's Hollywood Republicans who've actually gotten more political traction,according to University of Southern Californiahistory professor Steven Ross.That was the thesis of his bookHollywood Left and Right: How Movie Stars Shaped American Politics.

"Even though the Hollywood left has been more numerous and more visible, the Hollywood right has had a great impact on American life, and that is, in fact, because very few Democrats have sought higher office," he said.

That's not the case forRepublicans, Ross says, pointing to three actorswho've held public office: George Murphy, who was a California senatorfrom1964 to 1970;Ronald Reagan,who served two terms asgovernor from 1967 to 1975and two aspresident from 1981 to 1989;and Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was governor from 2003 to 2011.

Hollywood Democrats, Rosssays, have preferred to lobby and to fundraise, and at that, they've excelled.

Clinton fundraiser-in-chief George Clooney recently had to defendcharging more than $350,000 US per couple for a seat at the head table ata star-studded soiree at his L.A. home. That amount mightbe jaw-dropping, but the fact is that Hollywoodhas been a lucrative stop on the Democratic campaign trail since the 1930s.

"Hollywood is particularly important in fundraising because it is a one-stop shop," Ross said."When you come to Hollywood, you've got everyone assembled in one close area.And celebrities like to be with other celebrities, so they're willing to pay several hundred thousand dollars for a couple to go to George Clooney's for an intimate brunch with the candidate."

Don't ask an actor

Do celebrity endorsements work? Actor and comedianJon Lovitzcertainly doesn't think so.

I think the least-qualified person to ask about the election is an actor.- Jon Lovitz, comedian, actor

"I think the least-qualified person to ask about the election is an actor," Lovitz said in aninterview with CBC Newsat a recent red carpet event. "Just because I'm known as an actor doesn't mean you should listen to me and who to vote for."

But Ross disagrees.He cites studies that found Oprah Winfrey'sendorsement of Barack Obama in 2007 won him aboutone million votes.

"They were able to show that Oprah'sendorsement of Obama actually helpedhim get the nomination, and without her endorsement, he might have lost the nomination toHillary," Ross said.

In the era of social media and limitless political donations, celebrity endorsements are more crucial than ever, he said.

"You need eyeballs and you need money, and celebrity endorsements can get you both," said Ross.

Clinton has deployed an entire red carpet's worth of actorsincluding Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanksand Morgan Freeman.Sanders has attracted a smallerbut enthusiastic following, securing the support of stars such as Danny Devito, Spike Lee and Sarah Silverman.

Trump is toxic formost ofHollywood

Hollywood has largely shunned Trump, with the exception of a few celebrities, includingMike Tyson, Hulk Hoganand Tila Tequila.

"I think that even the Hollywood right, the conservatives, are not by and large as conservative as Donald Trump," Ross said. "They see him as a racist, a misogynistand as someone who is not presidential."

While Sanders might not have racked up the most celebrity endorsements,he mightactuallyhavebenefited the most.

"It gave him visibility," Ross said."Hillary Clinton was already a known quantity,Donald Trump wasa known quantity, but Bernie Sanders was this relatively unknown socialist-turned-Democrat from Vermont.

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"And the fact that he was getting people likeSarah Silverman,Susan Sarandon,the left of Hollywood,comingout for him ... I think helped his campaign early on. If a celebrityparticularly a celebrity who you admire says,'I'm really throwing my support behind this candidate,' what it is likely to do is have people that admire that celebrity give that candidate a second look,or maybe even a first look."

Bernie branding

That's whathappened recently at a Sanders fundraiser in Los Angeles.

Chances are you've never had a cup of coffeeatJohnie'sCoffee Shop Restaurantitclosed 16 years ago but there's a good chance you've seen it. It's still used as a set for Hollywoodproductionsand has been featured in popular filmslikeThe BigLebowskiandAmerican History X.

Recently, it got a faceliftthanks to a group of Sanders-supportingproduction designers. They createda new sign for the coffee shop in the originalfont, and with a small crowd of Sanders supporters gathered below them counting down, they removed the cardboard cover to reveal it. The iconic landmark has now beenre-branded asBernie's Coffee Shop.

"If you look at political propaganda throughout the ages, the artists were there to foment that," saidproduction designer Jeremy White.

I've seen so many murals and signs andmemesand pieces of art for Bernie, so I think the artists are on his side.- Jeremy White, production designer

He says so-called below-the-lineHollywood industry workers have been just as active and just asvaluable as their more famous co-workers.

"I think we really do have a revolution on our hands when all of the artists have banded together," he said."I've seen so many murals and signs andmemesand pieces of art for Bernie, so I think the artists are on his side."

But the event wouldn't have attracted any media or the dozens of new supporters inside the coffee shopwriting chequesto the Sanders campaign if severalcelebrities hadn't been tipped to attend.

"This campaign is a confirmation of all those great things that people are doing in the world!" former Party of Five actorAndrewKeegantold the crowd assembled outside the newly christened Bernie's.

Keeganwas the only celebrity among those listed on the press release announcing the eventwho actually showed up aside from actorFrances Fisher, whohelped organize the unveiling. Sheacknowledged that baiting the media with alengthy list of celebrities was a way to get them to attend the event.

"If we put out the press that there are going to be certain celebrities here [people]aregoing to show up," she said.