The right endorsement can add credibility to a campaign, particularly if the endorser has sway in an ethnic or geographic community. A high-profile endorsement can help to mobilize supporters and prompt people to volunteer. When announced at a critical juncture, an endorsement can boost fundraising efforts. A celebrity endorsement can turn a local politician into a national figure.

In a highly polarized race, though, endorsements may have limited impacts. And there’s often a question of whether something that sounds like a stamp of approval really is a full-throated endorsement. In early July, for example, President Donald Trump called Mayor Eric Adams a “very good person” while praising him as “a good independent,” but he stopped short of endorsing the incumbent.

Endorsements didn’

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