Taylor Swift chooses Kamala Harris: Will she be the deciding factor?

analysis

It wasn’t long after the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris that a woman whose opinion many people had been waiting to hear spoke up: Taylor Swift posted a photo of herself with her cat on Instagram and wrote that she would be voting for Harris in November. More can be achieved in the USA “if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift said.

Taylor Swift supports Kamala Harris

The election campaign in the USA is more emotional than it has been for a long time, and the fronts are hardened. Swift’s statement is all the more diplomatic. Instead of anger, her words sound rational. She calls on her fans, especially the young ones, to register to vote. To inform themselves and form an opinion. Just as she has already done. The record-breaking musician supports her opinion with facts. She was particularly impressed by the attitude of Harris’s running mate Tim Walz towards LGBTQ+ rights and fertility treatments such as IVF. The “woman’s right to her own body” is just as important to Swift herself. In this respect, the musician apparently feels best represented by the Democrats.

Only Swift’s closing words sound a little provocative. She signed her post with “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, childless cat lady.” It is an allusion to Trump’s running mate JD Vance, who called Harris and other Democrats a “bunch of childless cat ladies.” Recently, other prominent women were also outraged by Vance’s statements, including Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler. The fact that Swift is now backing up her political support with a photo of a cat and calling herself the “childless cat lady” is impressive. 283 million people follow the superstar on Instagram. She has a reach that many politicians would wish for.

The Democrats in the USA are hoping for a lot from Swift’s support. But is this justified? Nobody can seriously predict what effect Swift’s support of Harris will have on the election. Only a few celebrities have made a noticeable impression in modern election campaigns. Political experts believe that famous people can rally existing supporters around them, but have only minimal influence on convincing new voters. One exception is talk show star Oprah Winfrey, who publicly supported President Barack Obama in 2008 and thereby fueled his campaign.

It has an enormous reach

One thing is certain, however, in the particularly close race – Harris and Trump are currently neck and neck in the important swing states – even a few percentage points could make the difference. The Democrats are therefore hoping for a boost from Swift’s support, especially among young voters. Since she accepted the presidential candidacy, Harris’ campaign has been working to win back the support of young voters. In 2020, President Joe Biden was able to rely on strong support among voters under the age of 30. But many have now turned their backs on the Democratic camp because they were disappointed with the 81-year-old president’s now withdrawn candidacy.

Harris, on the other hand, has sparked a new interest in the election among Generation Z and younger millennials. A wave of enthusiasm from dance videos and coconut memes has since swept the internet. It is this target group that has known Taylor Swift as a country and pop star for almost her entire life. Her debut album, which was released in the fall of 2006, is almost as old as an 18-year-old voter in the USA today.

And there are signs that some Swifties may be influenced by their idol’s political choices. In a May survey, a third of voters under the age of 25 said they were more likely to vote for a candidate Swift supports.

The singer has long proven her ability to motivate her followers to take political action. Last year, for example, Swift urged her then 272 million followers to vote in an Instagram post and linked to the website “Vote.org”. The site later reported 35,252 new registrations on that one day, a particularly significant increase in a year without elections. On Tuesday, Swift posted a similar link to “Vote.gov” in her Instagram story and repeated the appeal to her followers: “Remember that you must be registered to vote!”

The singer used to keep a low profile politically

Politics and Taylor Swift – a controversial topic for years. At the beginning of her career, the former country singer was always reserved when it came to political statements. Even when she was used as a mascot by right-wing groups. In March 2018, Swift surprised everyone when she publicly supported the anti-gun movement “March for our Lives” and donated money to the organization. A small step that was soon to be followed by a larger one. In the same year, she took a firm political stance. “In the past, I have been reserved when it comes to publicly expressing my political opinion, but due to various events in my life and in the world over the past two years, I see things very differently now,” she said, revealing that she would vote Democratic in the midterm elections in her home state of Tennessee.

Since then, Swift has made no secret of her political views. This was most evident in her Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” when Swift argued with her father and other employees in front of the cameras because they had different opinions. “I’m appalled. I’m the guy who bought armored cars,” Swift’s father said in the documentary in response to his daughter’s political stance. Swift then explained that she regretted not having spoken out for Hillary Clinton in 2016. “But I can’t change that. (…) I have to be on the right side of history,” said the musician.

Now Taylor Swift has made another statement. In the end, her political support could be the deciding factor in the midst of an incredibly close election campaign.