Demi Lovato Gives ‘Confidence’ Boost to Hillary Clinton
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- As the race tightens, Hillary Clinton turned to a 23-year-old pop star for a little boost of confidence.
Demi Lovato joined the Democratic presidential candidate for a large campaign rally in Iowa City tonight where she sang four songs, beginning with her hit single “Confident" -- a song title that holds a bit more meaning as Clinton braces for a potential upset in the primary race.
Earlier today, a new CNN/ORC poll showed Bernie Sanders leading Clinton by eight points in Iowa, and similar polls show Sanders leading Clinton by even greater margins in New Hampshire.
But tonight there was little talk of poll numbers among the 1,700 people -- predominately students -- who braced the cold to catch the show.
"I don’t think there is a woman more confident than Hillary Clinton,” Lovato told the cheering crowd inside an auditorium at the University of Iowa. "I am voting for her because of her beliefs, her strength and the fact that she completely embodies the concept of women empowerment.”
Embracing Lovato as she took the stage, Clinton expressed mutual admiration for the young singer, who she thanked for “talking about issues that people sometimes find hard to talk about.” Lovato has struggled publicly with mental health issues, a topic Clinton often talks about on the campaign trail.
Lovato follows a string of youth-friendly celebrities to endorse the Democratic presidential candidate.
Over the past few months, Katy Perry, Lena Dunham, Abby Wambach and "Scandal" star Tony Goldwyn have all hit the trail on Clinton's behalf -- a move meant to woo youth voters, many of whom have rallied behind Sanders.
Whether the strategy will pay off at the polls is still to be seen.
Many of those in attendance tonight said they were still undecided about who they would caucus for in 11 days, but that Lovato’s endorsement of Clinton wouldn’t sway them either way.
"I don’t think any celebrity would really influence my choice for president that much,” 23-year-old Grace Junkins told ABC News as she waited in line for the event.
Her friend, Jamie Pritzker, 20, who says she's between Sanders and Clinton, also dismissed Lovato as having any impact on her vote, but did admit the singer’s appearance was a factor in why she attended the event.
Other students — like Madisyn Martin, a 19-year-old Republican, who says she’s leaning towards Donald Trump — were clearly there with one intention only.
“I’m here for Demi,” Martin said. “That’s about it.”
