RNC in the Twin Cities: What do they have in common?

'Republican celebrity" is no oxymoron, but judging by popular-culture references, you'd think so. On an April episode of the NBC comedy "30 Rock, " the TV exec played by Alec Baldwin tried to find a young Republican celebrity for a McCain fundraiser, and all he could dredge up was an elderly star of the 1950s, now a D-lister, played by Tim Conway.

Ask random members of both the Republican and Democratic parties to name a few, and they say, "Well, let's see ... Charlton Heston's dead. ..."

There's no question that Hollywood leans liberal. But the list of celebrities affiliated to some degree with the GOP goes beyond Clint Eastwood and the Governator. And some of them might surprise those who don't keep track of such things: "SNL" producer Lorne Michaels, hip-hop artist LL Cool J, "Easy Rider" turned Ameriprise pitchman Dennis Hopper, actress Angie Harmon, wrestler-turned-movie-star Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson.

Actresses Lara Flynn Boyle and Heather Locklear were each named "Republican Babe of the Week" on the now-defunct site jerseygop.com, a distinction shared by Bo Derek, Shannen Doherty, Patricia Heaton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (Maybe even more female celebs who are Republican would go public if they didn't fear such a "Wayne's World"-style label. Schwing!)

Which stars will come to St. Paul for the Republican National Convention -- whether for public performances or as bait to draw big-money attendance at private parties -- is still classified under rumor, hope and speculation.

One safe bet is Melissa Gilbert, now in rehearsal as Ma Ingalls in the Guthrie's stage version of "Little House on the Prairie."

Google "Republican celebrities," and you'll be linked to dozens of sites listing hundreds of stars along the A- to D-list spectrum. Many of these sites play fast and loose with the connection, not differentiating between registered Republicans, celebs who performed at or attended a Republican convention or president's inauguration, and those who have spoken out in interviews as supporting Republican causes or being engaged in activism.

• Chaka Khan, who sang at both of the Democratic and Republican conventions in 2000, and has said that she is more of a "Democratic-minded person."

• Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson, who said he'd have voted for Bush if his felony conviction didn't prevent it, which doesn't necessarily make him Republican.

• Former Jefferson Airplane frontwoman and 1960s activist Grace Slick, included on a few lists, was clearly joking when she stated in an interview, "I'm a lifelong Republican."

Does star support matter?

The list of GOP-backing stars, particularly in the spheres of pro sports, country music and Christian rock, is longer than scoffers might think, but shorter than that of the Democrats. And in the minds of some Republican spokespeople, who cares?

"I don't think anyone goes into a voting booth planning to vote for someone because their favorite movie star did. Raising money, that's where it matters. A local example would be Al Franken running around small-town Minnesota for legislative candidates in the last cycle."

Sheila Krumholz concurs. Krumholz is a native Minnesotan and executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C., a nonpartisan research group that monitors how money influences political campaigns and runs the website opensecrets.org.

"They absolutely have an influence, but luckily it's not as great as some might think," she said. "Presidential candidates run enormously expensive campaigns, and part of the cost is advertising. Celebrity endorsements draw attention to the product being sold, whether it's a candidate or an athletic shoe."

That's what Larry Jacobs calls the "Oh" factor.

"If you get a cover girl or boy as part of your entourage, people notice," said Jacobs, director of the Center of the Study of Politics at Humphrey Institute. "It's not necessarily positive or negative, it's just recognition. When Mike Huckabee, an Arkansas preacher turned politician, had Chuck Norris following him around during the primary, people thought, 'Oh, Huckabee must not be a bad guy.'"

"Depending on who is making the endorsement, it can add to candidates' mystique, or the identity they're trying to project. When McCain tries to position himself as tough on terrorism, it helps to have the Terminator and Rocky in his corner."

The downside of star support is that it can backfire -- anyone been knocking on the door of Republican supporter and slur slinger Mel Gibson lately? -- or turn into an embarrassment of riches. During some of the past year's primary debates, Republicans criticized Democrats for what they saw as the audience planting of Hollywood A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Susan Sarandon.

"The Democrats have had to contend with being branded culturally elite because of their huge base of support in Hollywood," Jacobs said.

Not so the Republican dominance among country-music heavyweights, including Brooks & Dunn and LeAnn Rimes. Democrats recognize the importance of country fans, as well: In April, all three top contenders in the race -- Democrats Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and Republican John McCain -- appeared on the televised CMT Music Awards show.

"A great number of those folks are conservative, and the themes they sing about include God and the flag," Jacobs said. "Country music is most popular in the South, which is the base of the Republican Party. Despite the chatter about Obama being competitive in the South, the reality is that the Republicans will almost certainly win every one of those states. So they're rooting for the home team."

They've gotta believe

Celebrity influence isn't necessarily the best way to garner voter support, said Robin Bronk, director of the Creative Coalition, a celebrity group that appears at events such as political conventions to press for reform on particular issues. While the CC is officially nonpartisan, many of its members have been affiliated with the Democratic party. Actor Tim Daly, this year's co-president, will lead delegations to both the Democratic convention in Denver and the Republican convention in St. Paul to focus attention on issues such as children's safety and education.

"It only works if that celeb has a personal interest in the issue or community, like Christopher Reeve," Bronk said. "He helped found the Creative Coalition and became active in spinal-cord injury and stem-cell research. His own paralysis made him very believable."

People say celebs are in it for the publicity, but political activism also makes them vulnerable, Bronk added. "No one really gets involved in politics for publicity. Like the rest of us, celebs get involved in things that move them. The difference is, they have a platform and a spotlight."

State Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina) might have the attitude most representative of his party. When asked which celebrities he was most hoping to see or even spend time with at the convention, he started ticking off names of storied GOP pols, including Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani.

Michel's voice ramped up a notch when discussing some expected attendees, but not the kings and queens of pop culture. No, he's excited about -- the governors.

"Who would I most like to sit next to at a dinner? One of the star governors in this country right now. We've got one right here, Tim Pawlenty. And, of course, Schwarzenegger. There's a woman in Alaska, [Gov.] Sarah Palin, making a lot of news, and the real up-and-comer is Louisiana's young Bobby Jindal."

Who needs Rocky when you have T-Paw?