By JEFF AMY Associated Press
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ATLANTA — A beer garden in downtown Atlanta filled for an event hosted by Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock aimed at Latino voters.

Some said they came to seek Warnock, who is seeking reelection in the midterm elections on Nov. 8 against Republican challenger Herschel Walker. But others came to see a particularly high-profile Latino who would be speaking on Warnock’s behalf — composer, actor and filmmaker Lin-Manuel Miranda.

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“Who I’m really here to see is Lin-Manuel Miranda, because I’m a really big fan of his,” said Camilla Estrada, of Atlanta, who described herself as liberal and said she plans to vote for Warnock.

Celebrity endorsements in politics are not new, and it’s unclear how much influence they have, said Mark Harvey, a professor at the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas. And some of the biggest fans at Miranda’s appearance Wednesday night, like 7-year-old Sophie Hinsbi, clutching a book from the animated Disney musical “Encanto,” were too young to vote. But that hasn’t stopped politicians from showcasing celebrities, hoping to reach voters on the fence.

Georgia Democrats spent the first week of the state’s early voting period in frantic activity, as they implore supporters to vote in advance. Warnock and gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams each held multiple events. Miranda also appeared with Abrams at a restaurant in suburban Lawrenceville on Wednesday, while the Abrams campaign rolled out a recorded chat with Oprah Winfrey on Thursday.

Almost 575,000 people voted in Georgia by the end of Thursday, roughly on pace with the 2020 presidential election when 5 million votes were cast in the state, buoying Democratic hopes that a big turnout might help them. Celebrities have gone directly into politics in 2022, including Walker, a University of Georgia football star. When Walker interacts with voters, fans line up to implore him to sign jerseys and commemorative bottles from the Bulldogs’ 1980 national championship.

There’s also Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz, a doctor who made a fortune as a TV show host. They’re following the footsteps of others, including former President Donald Trump. Harvey said his research showed Trump was effective at dominating news coverage in 2016, and noted that he had heard a lot about Walker despite living far from Georgia.

“When you get a celebrity in there, you’re probably going to get a whole lot more free coverage,” Harvey said.

In Atlanta, Miranda noted that he had a history of supporting Warnock, mentioning an online fundraiser that the cast of “Hamilton” held for Warnock in 2020, as the two were pushing toward January 2021 runoff victories that gave Democrats control of the Senate.