Some fans say they’re boycotting the pop star in protest of her most recent political nod. Others say it motivates them to vote.
After pop star Taylor Swift posted a lengthy endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Instagram, reactions poured in from her large global fan base.
Across social media, many of Swift’s conservative followers voiced disappointment, some vowing to never listen to her music again.
At the same time, Democrat-aligned fans showered the pop star with praise for using her platform to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Swift’s platform is undoubtedly large and her fans, known as Swifties, are loyal.
A 2023 Morning Consult survey found that 53 percent of adults in the United States identify as fans of Swift. And 16 percent identify as “avid fans.” One of the most popular artists in the world, Swift has sold more than 200 million albums globally.
Popularity can be a double-edged sword for celebrities when they wade into politics.
Dyonna Pelletier has been a fan of the singer for more than a decade, she told The Epoch Times. She has assembled a treasured collection of all of the singer’s vinyl album releases over the years.
But as a Trump supporter, she says she won’t listen to her music anymore.
“After her endorsement, she was unfollowed on all platforms [I use] and I will no longer support anything she does,” she said.
Pelletier joins the 13 percent of respondents in a recent poll who said Swift’s endorsement made them less likely to vote for Harris.
Six percent said Swift’s recommendation made them more likely to vote for Harris.
And 83 percent said it made no difference to their voting plans.
Other conservative-minded fans told The Epoch Times that they’ll continue to enjoy Swift’s music, despite their differences in political philosophies.
Hannah Beth Jones said she has been listening to Swift’s music since she was about 10 years old, “really, through every period of my life.”
“There are periods in my life that are marked by her albums. And in a lot of ways, I feel like myself and a lot of other fans of hers, I feel like we kind of grew up with her,” Jones said.
The positive feelings she has about Swift’s music won’t be abandoned because of political differences, she said.
As vice chair of the Texas Young Republicans, she says it’s OK that she couldn’t be more different from Swift politically. That won’t cause her to cut the artist’s music out of her life.
“I listened to her on the way to work today,” Jones said. “We disagree politically, but she has written a lot of things that have really meant a lot to me over the years.”
Dozens of friends told her they feel the same way—that they’re not looking to celebrities for political advice, she said.
She wishes Swift would realize that her political ideology is “inconsistent” with the way she earns a living.
“She definitely practices business as a capitalist, and so a lot of what she’s seeming to support is going against the actual way she lives.”
A Motivator
Jennifer Ivancie-Andrews, a New York mom of two, said wasn’t politically active until Swift started endorsing Democrat candidates in 2018.
“I didn’t feel like my one vote could make a difference until Taylor started asking all her fans to vote,” she told The Epoch Times.
Swift was “the driving force in getting me to vote.”
She’s been a loyal follower of the star since her debut album in 2006 and is proud to have Swift’s name tattooed on her arm.
When she attended The Eras Tour last year, she scored seats in the third row from the stage.
“When Taylor looked right at me, my soul left my body,” Ivancie-Andrews said.
As a self-described “moderate Democrat,” Ivancie-Andrews said the political issues that are most important to her are access to abortion and seeing big businesses pay their “fair share” of taxes.
She doesn’t vote in every election, she said, but when Swift makes an endorsement, she makes sure to cast her ballot.
Zachary Mallory helps run a Facebook group called “Swifties for Harris – Florida’s Version.”
Members of the group share online about what they’re doing to turn out the vote for the general election, such as mailing hand-written letters to voters, crafting friendship bracelets with “Harris–Walz” or “Madam President 24” in beads, and painting “Kamala Rocks” on smooth stones to scatter in public places.
“I think [Swift’s endorsement] lit a torch under a lot of the undecided, and lit a torch under a lot of us that we have a lot of work to do,” Mallory told The Epoch Times.
He said he was “not a fan” of Harris in the 2020 election because of his preference for socialist policies.
“[Now] I’m all in for her because I’ve done my research.”
Celebrity Influence on Elections
A 2021 study by California State Polytechnic University at Pomona supports the notion that the Swift endorsement could backfire.
It concluded that, overall, “celebrity endorsements had a negative effect on the candidate being endorsed.”
“When a celebrity attaches themselves to an individual campaign, instead of a party at large, these endorsements may be harmful to the celebrity and the candidate,” the researcher wrote.
But “the more interested a voter is in politics, the more likely they are to rely on party or policy oriented information, making them less susceptible to influence from celebrities.”
The study found that “young people,” specifically, are less likely to vote for a candidate recommended by a celebrity. An age range was not specified in the analysis.
Swift posted her endorsement of Harris to Instagram, where she has more than 280 million followers, just after the conclusion of the Sept. 10 debate between Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Swift was prompted, she wrote, by “AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site.” The former president’s social media account had posted a portrayal of Swift in a satirical take-off of the World War I military recruiting poster featuring Uncle Sam pointing with the words “I Want You.”
“[That post] brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. “The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and [Gov.] Tim Walz in the 2024 presidential election. I’m voting for her because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. 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.”
She signed off as “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.” That was a poke at Sen. JD Vance for a comment he made in 2021.
More than 11.2 million people clicked that they “liked” Swift’s Instagram endorsement.
Swift was not vocal about politics until 2018 when she supported the Democrat who challenged Tennessee incumbent Sen. Marsha Blackburn. In that election cycle, Swift, who lives part-time in the state, also encouraged her fans to vote early.
Since then, she’s become increasingly outspoken about political issues.
She endorsed Joe Biden for president against Trump, the incumbent, in 2020.
And after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Swift retweeted a letter by former First Lady Michelle Obama. She added to the message saying that she is “terrified that this is where we are.”
Swift’s public relations representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Reuters contributed to this report.