Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the US presidential debate, expressing her support in an Instagram post. She praised Harris as a “warrior” who would advocate for the “rights and causes” she believes in.
“As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can,” Swift wrote on Instagram to her 283 million followers late on Tuesday, adding, “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election.”
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader, and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
Swift also commented on AI-generated images that Donald Trump released in late August, which falsely showed Swift and her fans supporting his campaign.
She said, “It really conjured up my fears about AI and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter.”
Swift mentioned that she had watched the debate and encouraged her fans to research “the positions these candidates hold on the issues that matter most to you.”
She humorously signed off as “Childless cat lady,” referencing a remark by Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance, alongside a photo with her cat, Benjamin Button.
In 2021, Vance criticized senior Democrats and the Biden administration on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, labeling them “childless cat ladies” discontent with their lives and eager to spread that misery.
Swift has previously supported Democratic candidates, endorsing Joe Biden in 2020, but she had not declared her support in the 2024 election until now.
Asked about Swift’s endorsement of Harris on Tuesday, Republican congressman Matt Gaetz said, “I love her songs, but I want to live in a world where liberals make my art and conservatives make my laws and policies.”
Some of Swift’s fans had already begun rallying support for Harris. The Swifties for Kamala Coalition was officially launched in late August, raising over $138,000 for the Democratic candidate during a virtual rally that featured Carole King and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Swift’s statement on Tuesday included a call to her fans to register to vote.
On MSNBC, Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, expressed his deep appreciation for Swift. He connected over their mutual love for cats, remarking, “I say that as a fellow cat owner,” and noted that her endorsement demonstrated the kind of bravery America needs.
In 2012, researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Maryland set out to explore if celebrity endorsements actually influence voting behavior.
They analyzed Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Barack Obama before the 2008 Democratic primary to see its impact on voter turnout.
The study found that Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement likely contributed approximately a million votes to Obama’s campaign, who surpassed his main rival, Hillary Clinton, by around 270,000 votes in the analyzed states.