Vice President Kamala Harris has gained endorsements from many politicians, business leaders and members of Hollywood, with singers including Beyonce throwing support her way with the use of her songs.
Global superstar Taylor Swift is believed to be a supporter of the Democratic Party and previously backed the Biden/Harris campaign, but has yet to show public support for Harris. Could that change in the final two months?
What Happened: There were reports that Beyonce or Swift would be a surprise guest at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, but the claims proved to be false.
Swift, who has been backing Democratic Party candidates in recent years, has yet to make an endorsement for the 2024 presidential election.
The musician previously backed a Democratic candidate for Senate in Tennessee in the 2018 election, as reported by Variety. The endorsement was Swift’s first time speaking out on political matters.
Swift backed Joe Biden and running mate Harris in the 2020 election.
A potential endorsement of Harris could be a major turning point in the 2024 election, with Swift's celebrity status among the biggest figures globally and a huge reach among females and young voters.
Swift's political endorsements were previously covered in the 2020 Netflix documentary "Miss Americana" where the singer told her father that she needed "to be on the right side of history" by speaking out politically despite him opposing this. Swift also mentioned that she wishes she would have spoken up in the 2016 election previously.
The singer's quietness about the 2024 election also comes with Republican candidate Donald Trump using fake AI-generated images alleging Swift and her fans had endorsed him. Swift did not make a statement on the images.
Some Swift fans that support Harris and the Democratic Party are also critical of her friendship with Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Brittany Mahomes has been a vocal supporter of Trump and even drew a thank you from the former president for her support. Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce, also of the Chiefs, have often been seen with the Mahomes duo.
Another reason Swift may not be speaking out on her political leanings could be fear of repercussions. A terrorist attack plan on Swift's concert in Vienna was stopped before the show, which was ultimately cancelled. Swift made a brief statement on the event.
"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," Swift said.
The Variety article suggests that Swift may have more at stake now, given her global superstardom is far greater than it was when she previously endorsed political candidates.
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Why It's Important: An endorsement from Swift is still a possibility, as she backed Biden in October 2020, a month before the election.
On prediction market Polymarket, over $409,000 has been bet on the market of whether Swift will endorse Harris before the 2024 election. The market leans to yes for an official endorsement coming before Nov. 4 at 76% as of the time of writing.
While the majority still believe she will endorse Harris, this figure has dropped from 88% in mid-August and 92% at the beginning of the month.
While Swift may not be publicly endorsing a candidate, that hasn't stopped her fans who are commonly known as Swifties from speaking out and raising money for the vice president.
A "Swifties for Kamala Rally" took place recently and featured guest appearances from legendary songwriter and singer Carole King and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The group raised over $100,000 in donations for Harris' 2024 election campaign.
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 during the 2023 National Voter Registration Day, marking the highest turnout since 2020. This figure represents a 23% increase from the previous year. Additionally, the number of 18-year-old voters doubled compared to 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.
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