Pop star Taylor Swift has not publicly endorsed Kamala Harris, but that hasn't stopped her fans — as well as legendary songwriter and singer Carole King — from rallying in her name to campaign against Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
What Happened: A "Swifties for Kamala Rally" event place Tuesday night. It raised $114,000 in donations for Harris’ 2024 campaign.
Swift is not affiliated with the group, nor did she make a surprise appearance, as reported by Variety.
King, whose songs Swift has covered, was introduced at the rally as the "original cat lady” — a sarcastic nod to the disparaging comment Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, made about women without children.
King referred to Swift as her "musical and songwriting granddaughter." King rapped the chorus of Swift's "Shake It Off" during the rally.
"I'm excited about Kamala, because so many people are excited about Kamala," King said. "I have admired her, the idea that this happened, and the stars lined up, and Joe Biden did a really gracious, hard thing to do, and I'm so proud of him."
The “You’ve Got a Friend” singer encouraged attendees to volunteer, knock on doors and make phone calls to help Harris win on Election Day, Nov. 5.
"I'm telling you all this because if any of you are thinking of volunteering to be door knockers or phone callers, but you're a little nervous about what you might say, please believe me: there is nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was also a featured guest during the virtual rally. The senator shared that her favorite Swift songs are "Karma" and "All Too Well (10-Minute Version)(Taylor's Version)."
Warren said it is the "era of the first woman president," a reference to Swift's eras.
"We've got 70 days until the election, and I'm just going to be blunt, it is going to be a tough fight ahead," Warren said. "We have lots to do, and dang, there are only 24 hours in a day, or 144 ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Versions).’"
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Senator Ed Markey (D-N.Y.), Representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and Representative Becca Balint (D-Vt.) also appeared at the event. Several members of Harris' team also appeared at the rally.
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Why It's Important: Swift endorsed the Biden and Harris ticket in the 2020 election. This year, she has not publicly endorsed a candidatenor did she appear at the 2024 Democratic National Convention
"We are not waiting on Taylor to show her support for Kamala Harris," Swifties for Kamala social media manager Rohan Reagan told Cosmopolitan previously.
Even though Swift hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the 2024 election, her efforts have already helped more people register to vote.
"Taylor did throw her support toward Joe Biden during the 2020 election, so it is possible that she'll show her support again," Reagan added.
In September, on National Voter Registration Day, Swift posted to her Instagram stories encouraging her fans to register to vote.
“I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!” Swift said, as shared by NPR.
Swift’s post was non-partisan and included a link to the voter registration at Vote.org.
A total of 35,252 people registered to vote on the 2023 voter registration effort holiday. This marked the most on National Voter Registration since 2020. The figure was up 23% from the previous year. The number of 18-year-old voters doubled from 2022 during the 2023 campaign.
It's unknown how many of the registrations Swift was directly responsible for. But the Vote.org website saw a 1,226% jump in site visits in the hour after Swift’s Instagram story.
A potential Swift endorsement could be a key event in the 2024 election.
"As the female vote will be crucial in swaying the election, Swift's endorsement could be crucial in influencing young female voters and reinforcing the notion that Harris, like [Barack] Obama before her, is presiding over the support of a movement rather than just a demographic in the national votes," London Metropolitan University Professor of Political Communications Mark Wheeler said, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Harris has shown a lead in most 2024 election polls and the support from Swift or Swift fans could help the vice president get strong backing from the younger voter and female voter demographics.
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