Why Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris will prove uniquely powerful in the US election
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“I need to be on the right side of history,” said Taylor Swift in her 2020 Netflix documentary, Miss Americana. “It’s not that I want to step into this” – “this” being politics – “It’s just, I can’t not at this point.”
True to her word, after last night’s presidential debate, the “Bad Blood” singer ended the speculation and publicly endorsed Kamala Harris over Donald Trump.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she wrote on social media, before signing off: “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” – a direct reference to comments made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
Her backing came as a welcome relief for Democrats after she had been spotted earlier in the week at the US Open with Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes. Of course, it’s not that Swift’s vote is any more important than the millions of Americans eligible to cast one, but so powerful is her influence and so wide-reaching is her appeal, that to not use her platform to engage and inform voters might seem like a waste and a disservice to fans.
Such has been the expectation for Taylor – a superstar with bipartisan appeal across the political divide – to declare, that to stay silent would be a riskier career move than to not do so.
Earlier this week, she said that she intended to intervene after fake images depicting her as “Uncle Sam” and demanding that her fanbase vote Republican were shared on social media. Look what you made her do…
Trump’s response to Swift’s declaration for Harris was predictably laced with menace: “She will probably pay a price for that in the marketplace”.
Despite her considerable platform (now a seismic 283 million on Instagram, 95.2 million on X/Twitter), the pop culture icon hasn’t always been vocal about how she casts her vote. Yes, she has shared links and voter information ahead of key elections, encouraging her fans to register and get involved, but during her early career – certainly, during her country years – she steered well clear of signalling her support for one candidate over another.
And it makes sense. She kickstarted her music career in Nashville, Tennessee, a predominantly red state; the last time the Democrats won there was in 1996. Swift noted herself, again in Miss Americana, that she had witnessed the downfall of the band previously known as the Dixie Chicks in 2003, after they proclaimed: “We’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas” – a reference to George W Bush and the Iraq war. Swift was warned that her career would suffer a similar fate if she dared do anything other than perform.
Even Donald Trump has wondered whether Swift can be a Democrat because of her background. “She’s legitimately liberal?” he asked. “It’s not an act? It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal.”
Seemingly heeding this advice, she failed to endorse either candidate in the 2016 US election – despite the barrage of celebrities, including Katy Perry, George Clooney, Cher and Jennifer Lopez supporting Donald Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton. In this instance, star power didn’t equate to political power.
In US elections, celebrity endorsements have long been key to political campaigns – both in terms of influence and money. Trump himself has already received support from the likes of Kid Rock, Amber Rose, Elon Musk and Hulk Hogan this year, and in 2016 infamously won over rapper Kanye West (who, coincidentally, has been waged in a war with Swift for some years).
Even when George W Bush was going up against Al Gore in 2000, the Hollywood factor played an integral part in the latter’s success (to a certain point) – with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Harrison Ford and Robert de Niro donating to his campaign.
So, what changed for Swift? In her own words, the turning point was her 2017 sexual assault trial against former DJ David Mueller. “Like, something is… completely and unchangeably different since the sexual assault trial last year,” she said. “And no man in my organisation or in my family will ever understand what that was like.”
That, combined with Trump’s very public – and very personal – attacks on Swift over the years, has no doubt fuelled this newfound desire to step into the political arena. And much like everything else she turns her hand to, Swift has excelled in this field.
Ahead of the 2018 US midterms, Swift took to social media to throw her weight behind Democrat Phil Bredesen in his bid for Senate. In a heartfelt post, Swift wrote of Republican Marsha Blackburn: “I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.”
Although Bredesen didn’t win, her endorsement marked a pivotal moment in her career and demonstrated her influence – with Vote.org saying it had received nearly 65,000 registrations from voters aged 18-29 in the 24 hours after Swift’s post.
There was a similar uptick in registrations (up by 32,252) following her endorsement of the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020 on National Voter Registration Day. Speaking to V magazine, Swift shared: “I will proudly vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election. Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs.”
Her backing came after a series of online swipes from both sides. Swift had been very vocal about Trump’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, in addition to his response to George Floyd’s murder. On Twitter, she wrote: “After stoking the fire of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts, the shooting starts’. We will vote you out in November. @realdonaldtrump.”
Now, Biden’s victory against Trump in 2020 cannot be wholly attributed to Swift, but there’s no denying she encouraged people to register and galvanised a significant portion of young voters in their choice. With the 2024 election set to be decided in a handful of key states, by a few thousand votes, her endorsement may yet prove to be pivotal.
