The Power Of Celebrity In Politics

The Leslie Marshall Show

Leslie begins today's show with a brief monologue about people who choose to tear others down through insults.
She then does her 'Ripped from the Headlines' news segment. Here are the stories that she gave her take on:

1. AXIOS: "CDC: Vaccinated teachers and students don't need to wear masks indoors"
2. AUDIO: President Biden says he will not send another generation of Americans to war in Afghanistan with no reasonable expectation to achieve a different outcome
3. AXIOS: "Biden launches 72 initiatives to boost competition in U.S. economy"
4. AXIOS: "U.S. blacklists 23 more Chinese entities over Xinjiang abuses, military ties"
5. AXIOS: "Texas legislature convenes for special session on voting rights"
6. NBC NEWS: "Harris announces $25 million DNC investment to aid voting access"

For the second half of the show, Leslie is joined by Dr. Lauren A. Wright, Associate Research Scholar and Lecturer in Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where she teaches courses on The Presidency and Executive Power, Women and Politics, and Political Communication. Wright is the author of "Star Power: American Democracy in the Age of the Celebrity Candidate" and "On Behalf of the President: Presidential Spouses and White House Communications Strategy Today."

Leslie and Dr. Wright talk about celebrities who run for office like former President Donald J. Trump, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and current California Republican Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner.

They also discuss how being a celebrity can be a huge advantage when running for office, but a huge disadvantage when trying to effectively govern (if the celebrity has no prior political experience). Additionally, Dr. Wright explains how and why celebrity candidates are covered differently than traditional politicians by news organizations, and why this is such a big deal.

Dr. Wright's website is www.LaurenAWright.com and her Twitter handle is @DrLaurenAWright.