CNN
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In September, Latin music superstar Nicky Jam shared the stage with Donald Trump. The reggaeton singer wore a red MAGA hat and said at a rally in Las Vegas that he supports the former president.

On Tuesday, he withdrew his endorsement – joining a chorus of famous Puerto Ricans who had condemned a comedian’s comments at Trump’s rally in New York City earlier this week attacking the US island’s territory.

“Puerto Rico should be respected,” Nicky Jam told his 43 million Instagram followers.

While Jam did not support Harris in his post, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Marc Anthony, reggaeton star Don Omar, “Despacito” singer Luis Fonsi and global superstar Bad Bunny are among the celebrities of Puerto Rican descent who showed their support have vice president or her platform since Sunday. Lopez is also attending a rally in Las Vegas alongside Harris on Thursday.

Harris campaign officials had always planned star-studded events in the final stretch of the presidential election. But the influx of Latino artists denouncing Trump and running for Harris while the vote is already underway is the October surprise the campaign didn’t expect.

Together, these stars have 390 million followers worldwide on Instagram alone – more than the US population.

In a razor-thin race, celebrity endorsements can make the difference, experts say, particularly in a demographic where polls have shown Trump narrowing the gap with Harris – Latino men – and especially at a time when both campaigns vying for the Puerto Rican vote in battleground Pennsylvania, where there is a sizable portion of Latino voters.

The Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from Hinchcliffe, with campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez saying in a statement after the rally: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”

According to a campaign official, the endorsement of Bad Bunny — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — came as a surprise to the Harris team.

Harris campaign officials have had discussions with Bad Bunny’s team and are cautiously optimistic that he would support the vice president’s plans for Puerto Rico, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but they did not expect him to comment on Sunday as he shared on his social media a video of Harris’ plans for the island.

Bad Bunny generally didn’t get involved in politics. A representative for the star told CNN that his reposting of Harris’ video on Instagram was “not an endorsement,” but that he was “supporting” the vice president because “Benito’s political focus has always been on Puerto Rico.”

According to another source familiar with the campaign’s Hollywood reach, supporting Bad Bunny has been high on the Harris campaign’s wish list for months because of his influence with young male Latino voters.

“They are cultural affirmers,” said a source close to the campaign, adding that actions by Latino artists receive attention in the Spanish media and help spark discussions in the Latino community.

Another source described Latino support for Harris as another way for the campaign to gain traction among Latinos at a time when polls suggest waning enthusiasm.

Harris pollster Matt Barreto, who focuses on Latino voters, argued that endorsements can help mobilize voters.

“Every type of celebrity, influencer and famous person has the ability to attract attention and turn heads,” Barreto said. “That alone is a big plus. These are people who are recognized. To a certain extent they are trusted.”

While only celebrities get attention because of their name recognition, Barreto argued that voters need a reason to listen to them. That’s one reason why Sunday’s inflammatory comments about Puerto Rico led to a snowball effect that reached Latinos across the country, he said.

“It was natural and helped reinforce the feelings of the average person on the street,” he said.

“This is a very special moment that will be talked about for a long time after the campaign and after the election. “It’s so much more powerful than the Latino community and in any community when you have celebrities, influencers and regular people all reacting similarly to a crime like this in real time,” he added.

A Hollywood political strategist who has worked with many A-listers this election cycle agrees that authenticity is key, especially as celebrity reach continues to evolve.

“A few years ago, celebrities took the “more is more” approach. That’s not it. You have to focus on the right people in the right places and align people with the right issues and the right message,” the strategist said. “The followers have to believe it.”

Ever since Harris’ campaign began with Charli XCX’s lime green cachet, Hollywood’s influence has been in the spotlight.

The endorsement of British pop star “Kamala IS Brat” catapulted Harris into Generation Z territory at the start of her campaign this summer, validating her candidacy among legions of young voters and turning the vice president into a pop culture meme icon.

Charli

Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris in September, shortly after the presidential debate, also came as a surprise to the vice president’s campaign. Both Harris and Trump quickly pounced on the “Swiftie” fan base, demonstrating the pop superstar’s immense reach: The Harris campaign created Harris-Walz friendship bracelets inspired by the singer, while the Trump campaign was inspired by the Eras Tour inspired t-shirts were released.

As Election Day approaches, Harris is enlisting more celebrity endorsements to mobilize people to vote, including Beyoncé’s long-awaited performance last week.

“We will use every tool at our disposal,” a senior campaign official previously told CNN.

Trump later mocked his opponent for hosting a “dance party with Beyoncé,” suggesting Harris was more focused on celebrities than ordinary Americans.

But the former president is also getting the support of celebrities at this critical time. On Wednesday evening, Packers quarterback Brett Favre returned to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to attend Trump’s latest rally. The television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw spoke at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, as did tech tycoon Elon Musk.

As CNN previously reported, a recent Harvard study found that celebrity endorsements play an influential role in driving civic participation.

As voters head to the polls, numerous stars have recently come out in support of the election. Some were predictable, like Oscar winner and longtime environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who spoke about Harris’ commitment to climate change and said that Trump “continues to deny the facts.” Others were more surprising, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican governor of California, who announced his support for Harris and called Trump “unpatriotic.”

“I don’t really do any advertising. “I’m not afraid to share my views, but I hate politics and don’t trust most politicians,” Schwarzenegger wrote on X on Wednesday. “I will always be an American before I become a Republican.”

Representatives for Schwarzenegger did not respond to CNN’s request for comment on whether his post came about organically or in coordination with the Harris campaign.

A prominent publicist told CNN that, as in the last two elections, many of his left-leaning clients were driven to take a stand against Trump rather than show support for another candidate.

“A lot of this was driven by Trump. Ultimately, do you all want Trump to be president or not? “It’s a very motivating thing,” said the publicist. “The Trump phenomenon is far more powerful as an organizer than most other things.”

But on the other side of the ballot, Trump has more public celebrity supporters than ever before.

His long-time Hollywood fans include Jon Voight, Kelsey Grammer and Roseanne Barr, but country singers like Jason Aldean and John Rich also support him. But this year, actors like Dennis Quaid, Zachary Levi and Mel Gibson have publicly supported Trump, as have athletes like Mike Tyson and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

Trump was unique in his multifaceted celebrity approach, targeting hugely popular social media stars and podcasters who arguably have more influence than most Hollywood stars. His hour-and-a-half livestream with 24-year-old gamer Adin Ross drew millions more attention than any traditional news channel could, as did his recent conversation with podcaster Joe Rogan, which currently has more than 40 million views.

“I wouldn’t over-hype celebrities, but in really close elections in certain states and districts where fewer than 500 voters are going to win the election, you want to play all your cards,” said the Hollywood political strategist.