Taylor's Role In Endorsing Kamala Harris

Following this month’s Presidential Debate on September 10, the first with both Republican and Democratic nominees, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Taylor Swift let her choice be known; she’d be voting for Kamala Harris this election.

To many this was not surprising at all. Swift previously endorsed now President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, and had been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump’s. However, for many others, this endorsement came out of relief following some backlash Swift received due to her silence, despite previously vowing in her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana that she pledges to stand up and be more outspoken regarding politics.

Swift received backlash shortly before the debate for continuously associating herself with Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whom she became friends with since she began dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in September of last year. In late August, Brittany Mahomes was seen liking a post made by President Trump, to which Trump responded to, thanking Mahomes for her support. In addition to this, President Trump had posted a fake, AI generated photo of Swift seemingly endorsing him. Swift’s silence throughout this time period before the debate left many fans disappointed, due to her previous outspokenness against the former president, and her pledge to stand up to marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community, women, and people of color.

To many Swift’s silence spoke volumes, but that silence was quickly broken that evening of September 10th, when the self proclaimed “Childless Cat Lady” officially endorsed the Harris-Walz presidential ticket. In a post made to Instagram, Swift addressed the AI images, stating “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.” In her statement, Swift continued by explaining why she’d be voting for Harris-Walz, stating issues such as IVF, LGBTQ+ rights, and woman’s bodily autonomy, while also calling Harris a “steady-handed, gifted leader.” 

Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala Harris for president may not be seen as the most game changing endorsement yet, but in some ways, it is. This news has clearly struck a nerve on the former President, as he has since gone on a tangent against Swift, publicly declaring “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” on his Truth Social website, and by selling knock off ‘Eras Tour’ t-shirts with himself on it. President Trump’s fiery reaction towards this news draws us to a clear conclusion; the Taylor Swift influence is something to watch out for.

Currently, Swift’s post endorsing Harris has 11.2 million likes, and drove 405,999 visitors to the vote.gov website within 24 hours, according to CBS News. In addition, the Harris-Walz campaign has piggybacked off of Swift’s endorsement, by selling friendship bracelets, referencing the popular accessory thousands of Swifties have worn to the Eras Tour thus far. 

Even before Swift’s official endorsement, a ‘Swifties for Kamala’ group emerged. The independent group that is not associated with Swift or the Harris-Walz campaign has organized donations for the campaign and has gotten 3,500 volunteers to help campaign for Harris. The Swifties for Kamala group has received significant attention, even welcoming guest speakers such as Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, and Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Carole King. When asked about how they plan to run this campaign, executive director Irene Kim cited Swiftie’s ticket, record, and merchandise buying skills come into play when organizing this campaign, which is something Swfities know all too well. 

It’s widely evident that Taylor Swift’s impact on popular culture is real, but it is also becoming more clear that her impact within politics is becoming real. While we may not know how many votes the Harris-Walz campaign will receive as a result of Swift’s endorsement, it sure is clear how much this endorsement has got people talking and has inspired her own fans to take action and make plans to vote in this upcoming election.

By Valeria Rivera