Shortly after the presidential debate ended Tuesday night, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to show her support for Kamala Harris’ and Tim Walz’s election bid.
The singer’s endorsement is a powerful contribution to the Democrats’ campaign and may stir up a voter base they desperately need. Swift posted a photo with her cat, Benjamin Button, and described the circumstances that affected her decision to announce her vote.
She felt the need to clarify her stance after being made aware of images produced with AI that depicted the singer endorsing former President Donald Trump. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” declared the artist.
She described the vice president as a “steady-handed, gifted leader,” and emphasized her support for Tim Walz and his stance on LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman’s right to choose. Swift then encouraged her followers to register to vote, sharing links to registration and early voting information in her story.
The singer signed off the post as a “Childless Cat Lady,” a jab at JD Vance who in 2021 slammed democrat politicians for not having children, provoking the fury of women online.
When Walz heard the news, he was in the middle of a live TV interview with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. He was wowed, and with a hand to his heart said, “That was eloquent, and it was clear and that’s the type of courage we need in America to stand up.”
This is not the first time Swift has endorsed a political candidate. She endorsed President Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, and the power of her voice should not be understated.
Her Instagram is followed by more than 284 million people, and the post endorsing Harris garnered over 10 million likes.
Over half of Americans claim to be a fan of hers, and her music resonates most with a very important voter base. According to a survey by Morning Consult, Swifties are mostly suburban white women.
These women were noted to be crucial to Biden’s victory in 2020 and are a historically competitive group of voters. The suburbs are a key battleground in this election, and Swift’s endorsement is a great way to reach them.
It has become increasingly common for public figures such as Swift to insert themselves into politics, and celebrity endorsements are a powerful tool for garnering votes. Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama was estimated to have earned him at least 1 million votes in the primaries, according to one study.
While Swift’s endorsement is a major benefit to Harris’s campaign, Trump has not been so lucky. Many of the public figures endorsing Trump are far less influential and beloved as the “Shake It Off” singer.
Trump has endorsements from country music singer Kid Rock, former wrestler Hulk Hogan and model and rapper Amber Rose, but none of them come close to matching Swift’s star-power. CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, may be his most powerful endorsement, but the billionaire has become very controversial in recent years.
His transphobic statements and mishandling of the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has made him severely unpopular. Musk even had his own response the Swift’s endorsement that left people confused and very creeped out.
He said, “Fine Taylor… you win… I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”
While far from a legitimate threat, the post was very unsettling and did little to quell the rumors that MAGA conservatives are “weird.”
Swift is an adored American celebrity whose endorsement was bold and well-articulated. Celebrities ought to use their voice to speak out on important issues, but they need to take the time to educate themselves enough on the policy positions of the candidates before they express their views.
Swift’s approach should be a model for how other celebrities can dip their toes into politics and advocate for the policies they believe in.
This story was written by Joey Schamber. He can be reached at [email protected].
