Most voters say endorsements don't matter much but may get some to the polls
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Candidate endorsements are everywhere from organizations to newspapers to former presidents to celebrities, but do they really matter to voters?
KDKA political editor Jon Delano takes a closer look at political endorsements in this campaign year.
Talk to people on the street and most voters will say they are not usually swayed by the endorsements of others.
"Everybody is always talking negativity about each other. It's what you actually do that matters," says one resident.
"It doesn't matter who endorses you. It's what the candidate actually says," adds another.
"It depends on the person who is endorsing the person who is running for office," says a third.
In this election, endorsements are coming from former presidents Obama and Trump, local newspapers, labor unions and chambers of commerce, dark money political action committees, all kinds of special interests and even celebrities like Oprah Winfrey.
Do these endorsements really matter?
"They may make a difference in primary elections when people don't have a lot of information, but surely not in a general election like the one that is coming up. People have the information they need about candidates," says University of Pittsburgh Professor Kristin Kanthak, a political scientist.
Kanthak says endorsements don't matter much in November elections when voters know a lot about the candidates.
Political analyst Larry Ceisler agrees.
"In a general election, especially as we get down to the last week here, they are really inconsequential," says Ceisler.
Last-minute endorsements are more about getting people out to vote. Analysts say if you are an active member of the group doing the endorsing, then it may inspire members to get to the polls.
"One of the big predictors of whether or not someone votes is whether their social network votes. So if an endorsement is actually triggering that social network, then it makes a difference. But just simply saying, 'I endorse a person' doesn't help," says Kanthak.
And some high-profile endorsers – like Obama for Fetterman and Trump for Oz – may remind some voters why not to vote for a particular candidate.
"It's already baked in, Jon," says Ceisler. "If you don't like Barack Obama, chances are you're not voting for John Fetterman. And if you don't like Donald Trump, you're definitely not voting for Dr. Oz."
At this late stage, it's less about persuading people how to vote and more about getting supporters to the polls on Tuesday. Candidates hope last-minute endorsements will do just that.
