Patrick Mahomes, the star quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, has made it clear that he will not be endorsing any candidates in the upcoming presidential election, despite recent attempts to draw him and his wife Brittany into the political spotlight.
The three-time Super Bowl champion’s stance comes amidst a flurry of celebrity endorsements and political maneuvering as the 2024 election season heats up.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, September 11, before heading to practice for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati, Mahomes emphasized his desire to keep his platform politically neutral. “I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” Mahomes stated.
Instead, the quarterback expressed his commitment to encouraging civic engagement among his fans and followers. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family,” he added.
Mahomes’ comments come in the wake of former President Donald Trump praising Brittany Mahomes, Patrick’s wife, as a “big Trump fan” during a phone interview with Fox News on Wednesday. Trump’s remarks followed pop superstar Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency. Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and has become friends with the Mahomes family, made her endorsement public less than 24 hours before Mahomes addressed the media.
The quarterback, known for his composure on and off the field, brushed off Trump’s comments about his wife. “I can’t let that affect how I operate or how me and Brittany operate and what we do in the community and how we try to help people,” Mahomes explained.
The speculation about Brittany Mahomes’ political leanings began when she reportedly liked one of Trump’s Instagram posts. However, she has not officially endorsed any candidate, and Patrick Mahomes’ recent statements suggest that the couple prefers to keep their political views private.
Mahomes has a history of promoting voter participation without aligning himself with any particular party or candidate. In 2020, he played a role in making Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, a polling location. His focus on encouraging voter registration and participation aligns with his broader community engagement efforts.
The quarterback’s stance on political neutrality stands in contrast to the increasingly common practice of celebrity endorsements in presidential campaigns. Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Harris, for instance, has already shown significant impact. According to reports, Swift’s Instagram post urging her fans to register to vote drove over 400,000 visitors to the vote.gov website in a single day.
Swift’s endorsement of Harris came with high praise for the vice president. The singer called Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader” who will “fight for the rights and causes” she supports. Swift also expressed concern about the spread of misinformation, including a false AI-generated endorsement of Donald Trump that had been circulating.
The Trump campaign responded to Swift’s endorsement by portraying her as a “very liberal person” who will “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.” However, a group of Swift’s supporters, known as “Swifties for Kamala,” has already mobilized in support of the Harris-Walz ticket.
As the 2024 election approaches, the role of celebrity endorsements and the impact of high-profile figures on voter behavior continue to be subjects of intense scrutiny. While some, like Swift, choose to leverage their fame to support specific candidates, others, like Mahomes, opt for a more neutral approach focused on encouraging democratic participation.