Celebrity endorsements have become par for the course in US elections. It's not unusual for your favorite athlete to voice support for a presidential candidate, or for actors to show up at party nominating conventions. Sure, politicians are always happy to have someone famous drumming up votes for them, but endorsements are not generally a huge deal.

Unless, that is, they come from singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.

Swift, who is arguably the biggest pop star on the planet right now, shared a statement of support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on Instagram the night of last week's TV debate between Harris and her Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump.

The news garnered almost as much coverage as the debate itself. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate, was told about the endorsement live on air and couldn't stop smiling.

Why do some words of support from a singer make a vice presidential candidate look like Christmas came early? Why do they matter enough for Trump to post "I hate Taylor Swift!" in all caps on his social media platform Truth Social?

"In a close election, [Swift's endorsement] could matter a great deal," Richard Longoria, an associate........

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