Localness, partyness or well-knownness? Dissecting the personal vote of celebrity candidates in Finnish regional elections

Abstract

This paper explores the value of ‘localness', ‘partyness', and well-knownness' (name-recognition from outside the world of politics) in the personal vote of dual mandate-seeking celebrity candidates at the 2025 Finnish municipal and regional elections. This was the first time these elections were held concurrently, and candidates could run at both levels. Theoretically, the article challenges the orthodoxy that the personal vote is by definition non-partisan. Rather, it asks: How far do localness and partyness mitigate the impact of well-knownness in the celebrities' personal vote? Ultimately, the case made is that for many, though by no means all dual mandate-seeking celebrity candidates, they will be known for their well-knownness as local politicians more than as ‘names' from sport, television, or business. Equally, for a cohort of ‘social media influencers’, a process of digital personalization has extended the electoral reach of the celebrity candidate and undercut localness and partyness as explanatory variables.