Despite Michelle Obama gathering her closest celebrity friends to help her endorse Kamala Harris for president, one author and U.S. economist is arguing that their opinions won’t move the 2024 needle.
"There's an apathy problem that Democrats have to fight right now. They have to get all of those disenchanted and disengaged voters to actually care," Independent Women’s Forum director for center of economic opportunity Patrice Onwuka said on "Fox & Friends First," Monday.
"They've removed one candidate that was very unpopular, and they've placed someone else as a placeholder in that role. That's not enough," she added. "That's not going to be enough to move the needle."
Last week, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after days of silence over their support.
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The announcement came five days after President Biden, in a blockbuster announcement Sunday, ended his 2024 re-election rematch with former President Trump and endorsed his vice president. Biden made his move amid mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party for him to drop out after a disastrous performance in last month's first presidential debate with Trump.
Now, in a new political ad released Sunday on X by nonprofit When We All Vote, Michelle Obama called up celebrities like Kerry Washington, Megan Rapinoe, Steph Curry, Shonda Rhimes, Chris Paul, Bretman Rock and others to ask if they’ll be voting this November.
"We are just 100 days away from the general election," Michelle says in the ad. "From our local elected officials, to ballot measures on reproductive rights, the environment and our economy, our future is on the ballot. So, are you voting this year?"
"There are a lot of disengaged voters who say: we voted for the Democratic Party, for the left, for so long, and yet our communities are still struggling, our children are still in failing schools, and our communities are no safer," Onwuka reacted.
"They're willing to give the alternative the benefit of the doubt, or at least they try," the economist continued. "So, star-studded celebrity endorsements, they may carry some weight with a few folks, but for the folks who are thinking, ‘You know what? The celebrities lied to me before; they lied to me about Joe Biden for the past four years, they're going to lie again. I'm going to consider something different.’"
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The endorsement from the Obamas comes as the Harris campaign kicks off what it's touting as a "Weekend of Action" to mark 100 days until Election Day. Harris also reportedly raised $200 million in first-week campaign donations.
"This is a one-time stop," Onwuka warned. "It's not going to be sustainable."
Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
