Chuck Norris is a certified Web sensation. Widely circulated facts about his accomplishments, strength, and energy have elevated him to a level of popularity seldom seen by actors pushing 70. But can Norris's fabled powers impact the leader of the free world?
The actor who kicked copious butt on "Walker, Texas Ranger" is now attempting to bench press a presidential candidate from obscurity to front-runner with his endorsement of Mike Huckabee. Searches on Norris are up 10% over the past week, but more importantly, lookups on "mike huckabee chuck norris" are up a whopping 457%.
As for Huckabee, the GOP candidate has seen his searches double over the past week. Is it the Norris effect? We looked at searches on two prominent endorsements on the Democratic side to see how celeb buzz is affecting candidates.
Oprah Winfrey has thrown her behemoth buzz behind Barack Obama. We know that Oprah is the largest offline influencer of buzz. Her support has lifted searches on books, cars, and even Dr. Oz. She's hitting the campaign trail with Obama and searches on the senator from Illinois are up 24% this week. Queries on the daytime queen are up 10% as pollsters and pundits watch to see if her powers extend to the political realm.
Singer Barbra Streisand cast her lot with Hillary Clinton and backed the New York senator in her presidential bid. Searches on Babs jumped 31% and Clinton searches sang a happy tune, up 38% this week.
But when it comes to political muscle thus far, no celeb endorsement can measure up to the power of Chuck. His backing of Huckabee helped lift the former governor of Arkansas past his more prominent rivals in buzz. Check our graph of candidate searches over the past month...
Is there anyone left who doubts the enormous power of Chuck Norris? Raise your hands!
Filed under: Politics, Celebrities
