(ABC 6 News) – There are many factors to consider when trying to determine the overall success of a bid for political office — but one of the biggest influences is who ends up supporting which candidates, and often how they support.

Political endorsements can take all kinds of shapes.

“There’s really sort of a couple ways of doing it,” said ABC 6 political analyst, Shane Baker. “One, the personal endorsement that comes from a standing politician, political leader, social leader, celebrity, you’re essentially saying ‘Hey I’m lending my credibility, my popularity to you.'”

That’s where a lot of endorsements come from, especially in high stakes elections like the presidential race.

Another way endorsements function can sometimes have even greater influences.

“In the larger sense if there’s a political action committee or some other entity involved, the endorsement really probably does a couple of things,” Baker said. “One, it tips off the members of that organization, ‘Hey, here’s the candidate who’s aligned with us,’ and there’s probably a structural component.” 

In other words, money.

Money is a huge driver of political campaigns, as seen in the millions of dollars that have found their way into both Republican and Democrat funds in recent weeks.      

But its also a way to show support for a candidates values.

“Constituents and voters look for those endorsements as an easy way to understand the candidate’s priorities,” said Leslie Rosedahl, endorsement coordinator for the Minnesota Peace and Police Officer’s Association.

At the same time, an endorsement isn’t necessarily a guarantee that a given organization’s support of a candidate will gain them votes.

“We always tell our members how they vote is their own business,” said political coordinator for the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, John Swanson. “We cannot tell them how to vote. We make recommendations through our endorsements.”  

When it comes to these types of shows of support, there’s often very little surprise as to who endorses who.      

What can be surprising, however, is how intense that support can be.

“It’s not necessarily about who’s going to endorse who,” said Baker. “It’s maybe more about the timeline and the energy with which they do their endorsing.”

With Vice President Harris winning enough delegate support to almost guarantee the democratic nomination, public endorsements may play a significant for both candidates as the dust of the last few weeks begins to settle.