Pop star Taylor Swift has not publicly approved Kamala Harrisbut that hasn’t stopped her fans – nor has the legendary songwriter and singer Carole Koenig — from rallies in their name to campaigns against Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election.
What happened: A “Swifties for Kamala Rally” event was held on Tuesday evening, raising $114,000 for Harris’ 2024 campaign.
Swift is not affiliated with the group, nor did she make a surprise appearance, Variety reported.
King, whose songs Swift has covered, was introduced at the rally as the “original cat lady” – a sarcastic reference to the derogatory comment made by Trump’s running mate. JD Vanceabout women without children.
King called Swift 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 admired her, the idea that this happened, and the stars aligned, and Joe Biden did a really kind, difficult thing and I’m so proud of him.”
The “You’ve Got a Friend” singer urged attendees to volunteer, knock on doors and make phone calls to help Harris win on Election Day, November 5.
“I’m telling you all this because if any of you are thinking about volunteering to do door-to-door sales or phone calls but are a little nervous about what you might say, please believe me: you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was also a guest of honor 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 called it the “era of the first female president,” referring to Swift’s era.
“We’ve got 70 days until the election, and I’ll be honest with you: It’s going to be an uphill battle,” Warren said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and damn it, there’s only 24 hours in a day, or 144 ‘All Too Well (10-minute versions).'”
senator Kirsten Gillibrand (DN.Y.), Senator Ed Markey (DN.Y.), representative Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) and representative Becca Balint (D-Vt.) also attended the event. Several members of Harris’ team also attended the rally.
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Why it is important: Swift supported the Biden-Harris ticket in the 2020 election. She has not publicly endorsed a candidate this year, nor has she appeared at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
“We are not waiting for Taylor to show her support for Kamala Harris,” says Swifties for Kamala social media manager Rohan Reagan he previously told Cosmopolitan.
Even though Swift is not endorsing a candidate for the 2024 election, her efforts have already helped more people register to vote.
“Taylor pledged her support for Joe Biden in the 2020 election, so it’s possible she’ll show her support again,” Reagan added.
In September, on National Voter Registration Day, Swift posted on her Instagram stories urging her fans to register to vote.
“I was so lucky to see so many of you at my US 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, according to NPR.
Swift’s post was nonpartisan and included a link to voter registration at Vote.org.
A total of 35,252 people registered to vote during the 2023 voter registration holiday, the highest number since 2020. The number is 23% higher than last year. The number of 18-year-old voters doubled in the 2023 election compared to 2022.
It’s not known how many of the registrations Swift was directly responsible for, but the website Vote.org saw a 1,226% increase in visits within the hour of Swift’s Instagram story.
A possible support for Swift could be a key event in the 2024 election.
“Because women’s votes will be crucial to the outcome of the election, Swift’s endorsement could be crucial in influencing young female voters and reinforcing the idea that Harris, like (Barack) Obama before her, has the support of a movement rather than just a demographic group in the national election,” said professor of political communication at London Metropolitan University. Mark Wheeler said, as The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Harris has been ahead in most polls for the 2024 election, and support from Swift or her fans could help the vice president gain strong support among younger and female voters.
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