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 fund-raiser, 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!)

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 GOP convention or president's inauguration, and those who have spoken out in interviews as supporting Republican causes or being engaged in activism.

Examples of fuzzy Internet-fomented affiliations include:

-- Chaka Khan, who sang at both 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 George W. 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?

"Democrats have run circles around Republicans in this area -- the appearance of hipness, coolness -- but I don't think celebrity endorsements of candidates matter much," said Sarah Janecek of the newsletter Politics in Minnesota.

"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."

Sheila Krumholz concurs. Ms. Krumholz is executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, a nonpartisan research group that monitors how money influences political campaigns.

"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 Mr. Jacobs, director of the Center of the Study of Politics at the University of Minnesota. "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.' "

Celebs are useful in targeting demographic groups, Ms. Krumholz said, citing Oprah Winfrey's call to women to come and hear Barack Obama speak, as well as California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's and Sylvester Stallone's ties to John McCain.

"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."