After pop star Taylor Swift posted a lengthy endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Instagram, reactions poured in from her large global fan base. Across social media, many of Swift’s conservative followers voiced disappointment, some vowing to never listen to her music again. At the same time, Democrat-aligned fans showered the pop star with praise for using her platform to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Swift’s platform is undoubtedly large and her fans, known as Swifties, are loyal. A 2023 Morning Consult survey found that 53 percent of adults in the United States identify as fans of Swift. And 16 percent identify as “avid fans.” One of the most popular artists in the world, Swift has sold more than 200 million albums globally.
Popularity can be a double-edged sword for celebrities when they wade into politics. Dyonna Pelletier has been a fan of the singer for more than a decade but as a Trump supporter, she says she won’t listen to her music anymore. Pelletier joins the 13 percent of respondents in a recent poll who said Swift’s endorsement made them less likely to vote for Harris.
Other conservative-minded fans told The Epoch Times that they’ll continue to enjoy Swift’s music despite their differences in political philosophies. Hannah Beth Jones said she has been listening to Swift’s music since she was about 10 years old and feels like they grew up together.
Jennifer Ivancie-Andrews, a New York mom and moderate Democrat, credits Taylor with motivating her to vote by asking all her fans to do so. Zachary Mallory helps run a facebook group called “Swifties for Harris – Florida’s Version” where members share what they’re doing to turn out voters.
A study by California State Polytechnic University at Pomona supports the notion that celebrity endorsements could backfire on candidates being endorsed. It concluded that overall celebrity endorsements had a negative effect on candidates and celebrities themselves when attached only to individual campaigns instead of parties at large.
Swift posted her endorsement of Harris on Instagram just after the conclusion of the Sept.10 debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump prompted by an AI-generated post falsely endorsing Trump’s presidential run being posted on his site.
Since becoming vocal about politics in 2018 when she supported Tennessee incumbent Sen.Marsha Blackburn’s challenger during an election cycle where she encouraged early voting among other things; Taylor has become increasingly outspoken about political issues endorsing Joe Biden against Trump during his re-election campaign and expressing concern over Roe v.Wade being overturned via retweeting Michelle Obama’s letter expressing similar concerns.
