This paper studies the electoral consequences of television stardom through the career of Ronald Reagan. I utilize quasi-experimental variation in television reception to estimate the causal effect of celebrity exposure on political support. I find that Reagan’s tenure as the host of a 1950s entertainment television program translated into support for his candidacy, in terms of votes and political donations, nearly two decades after the show’s first airing. Placebo checks suggest that this impact is not driven by unobserved heterogeneity or omitted variable bias. The effect was especially pronounced in the 1976 Republican primary elections relative to the general presidential elections and partially dissipated in locations where Reagan was a known political entity. Using the American National Election Studies (ANES) surveys, I provide evidence on possible mechanisms. Consistent with rational updating, nonpolitical media increased voters’ assessment of Reagan’s character and leadership, personalizing political considerations in elections featuring him. (JEL D72, L82, Z13)

中文翻译：

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电视名人的政治溢价

本文通过罗纳德·里根的职业生涯研究电视明星的选举后果。我利用电视接收的准实验变化来估计名人曝光对政治支持的因果影响。我发现里根作为 1950 年代娱乐电视节目主持人的任期转化为对他的候选资格的支持，在选票和政治捐款方面，在该节目首次播出近 20 年后。安慰剂检查表明，这种影响不是由未观察到的异质性或遗漏变量偏差驱动的。这种影响在 1976 年共和党初选中相对于总统大选尤为明显，并在里根是一个知名政治实体的地方部分消散。使用美国全国选举研究 (ANES) 调查，我提供了有关可能机制的证据。与理性更新一致，非政治媒体增加了选民对里根性格和领导能力的评估，在以他为代表的选举中个性化了政治考虑。(JEL D72, L82, Z13)