Will Taylor Swift support Kamala Harris? What we know

After President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, Taylor Swift faces growing pressure from her fans to publicly support the potential Democratic nominee.

On Sunday, Biden announced in a statement posted on social media that he would not run for re-election in the 2024 presidential election. He had previously faced weeks of pressure from within his own party and from major Democratic donors to step down due to concerns about his age and mental health.

In a follow-up post, Biden endorsed Harris as his successor, writing: “My very first decision as a party nominee in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my running mate. And it was the best decision I made. Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement of Kamala being our party’s nominee this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do it.”

Hours later, Harris said in a statement of her own that she was “honored by the President’s endorsement.” She continued, “My intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country speaking to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And I will continue to do so in the days and weeks ahead.”

“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. We have 107 days until Election Day. Together we will fight. And together we will win,” she concluded.

With Harris’ potential nomination dominating the news, numerous social media users called on Swift to publicly express her support for the Democrat.

David Hogg, a gun control activist, reached out to Swift on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “@taylorswift13 have you decided who you’re supporting? We have a lot to do to win back the youth vote and you could literally be the reason we don’t fall to a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-climate criminal.”

“I think we Swifties in the US should organize en masse and support the Kamala Harris campaign and spread the word about how horrific Project 2025 would be to get people to the polls in November,” wrote one fan on the platform, adding: “If we don’t want democracy to end, we really need to move and win the Democrats for our voters.”

Another commenter wrote, “Taylor Swift, please do something right and support the Democratic candidate this election.” The user added, “You have so (much) power.”

“Kamala’s party’s first move should be to get Taylor Swift to publicly support her. The Swifties would join in,” said another X user.

Shortly after Biden endorsed Harris for the nomination, an X-account called @Swifties4Kamala was created. The account, which is not affiliated with Swift, describes itself as a “coalition of Swifties ready to mobilize Taylor Swift fans to put Democratic candidates in office on every ballot.”

Newsweek has emailed a Swift representative for comment.

Swift’s views on Harris

While Swift has not yet commented on the latest developments in the presidential campaign, she expressed her support for Harris in the 2020 election cycle.

In August 2020, Swift responded to Harris’ post with a “YES” message, in which the Democrat said she was “honored to join (Biden) as our party’s vice presidential candidate and do whatever it takes to make him our Commander in Chief.”

In October 2020, Swift again expressed her support for Harris when promoting her interview with V Magazine, in which the pop superstar explained why she supports Biden.

“So fitting that it came out on the night of the Vice Presidential debate,” the musician wrote. “I will be watching and supporting @KamalaHarris by screaming a lot on TV.”

Swift’s political views have long been the subject of speculation, as the “Shake It Off” singer remained largely politically quiet until 2018, when she endorsed Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen in Tennessee. She has also spoken out in support of the LGBTQ+ community and abortion rights.

There was speculation that she would endorse Biden ahead of the November election, but she has not said who she will support as a presidential candidate this election cycle. However, she did endorse him in the 2020 presidential election. Swift reiterated her previous positions and publicly criticized Trump during his presidency.

Political force

Swift has proven she is a political force. On September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer posted a message on Instagram urging her fans to register on the nonpartisan, nonprofit website Vote.org. According to the organization, Swift’s post was followed by a surge of more than 35,000 registrations — a nearly 25 percent increase from the same day last year.

Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey said in a statement that the one-day increase in registrations was a “highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm,” especially as the number of newly eligible 18-year-olds registering to vote in 2022 increased 115 percent.

In May, Redfield & Wilton Strategies conducted a survey for Newsweek found that 22 percent of voters who supported Biden in the 2020 election said they would be more likely to vote for a GOP candidate in an election if Swift supported them.

The poll, conducted on May 1 among 1,500 eligible voters, found a 9 percentage point increase from January, when only 13 percent of Biden 2020 supporters said they would be more likely to vote for a Republican candidate endorsed by Swift.

The singer-songwriter’s influence also appears to be growing among Trump supporters, albeit less than among Biden supporters. In January, 13 percent of Trump voters said they would be more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate endorsed by Swift. In May, that number rose to just 16 percent.

Both the May and January polls had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.53 percent. The January poll was conducted on January 18 among 1,500 eligible voters.

Swift’s political influence has sparked a wave of relentless attacks from Trump’s supporters. In the run-up to this year’s Super Bowl LVIII, many threatened to boycott the broadcast because the singer was expected there to support her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

“Taylor Swift is a force,” comedian and Democratic consultant Chip Franklin said earlier Newsweek“Their presence at NFL games was a $330 million gold rush for both the Chiefs and the NFL.”

He added: “Swift’s music taps into the fear and pressure young people are experiencing in this social media whirlwind. Combine that with her boyfriend – a handsome football star and pro-vaccine advocate – and you have an unprecedented whirlwind of cultural and political opinion.”