Clinton adds pop of celebrity

Jennifer Lopez has performed a free concert in Miami as part of a star-studded effort to encourage people to vote for Hillary Clinton.

Texas Hillary Clinton

File photo of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Source: AAP

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, whose buoyant position in opinion polls has been threatened by a surprising new twist in the saga over her emails, has harnessed some celebrity star power she hopes will help win the battleground state of Florida.

Jennifer Lopez headlined a free concert in Miami as part of a star-studded effort to get out the voters and energise volunteers.

"We're at a crossroads and we have to take the right road to the future," Lopez shouted to screaming fans in rain gear who danced through rain and a shower of red, white and blue confetti.

The concert provided some visual counter-programming to the latest email snafu to roil Clinton's race to win the White House.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Friday it is investigating more emails as part of a probe into Clinton's use of a private email system - a late-breaking surprise that will likely continue to get extensive media play leading up November 8.

Clinton's campaign has said she is taking the news in her stride, and on Saturday she lashed out at FBI Director James Comey, a Republican, over the review.

The JLo event was the first of three high-profile concerts in states Clinton wants to keep from Republican rival Donald Trump, and it gave Clinton a chance to connect with the key demographic of millennials she has sometimes struggled to reach.

"If we turn out, we win," Clinton told the crowd.

Celebrity-driven events like the concert "can serve as a bit of a distraction" from the controversy, said Eric Kasper, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

"It is a way to kind of take the edge off things because it tends to be more positive," Kasper said.

Next week, Clinton will take the stage with Jay Z in Cleveland, and then with Katy Perry in Philadelphia on November 5.

A Harvard University poll this week showed that among likely voters aged 18 to 29, Clinton is leading Trump.

But turnout is a concern. The exceptionally negative tone of this year's race for the White House has turned off young Americans, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows.


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Published 30 October 2016 12:48pm
Source: AAP


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