Taylor Swift has hinted that she might become politically active (representative) this cycle.
Pop star Taylor Swift has not yet endorsed a presidential candidate this election season, but some of her fans are kicking off her political era by supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, joined singer-songwriter Carole King and about 15,000 others on a video conference call on Tuesday to launch the Swifties for Kamala organizing effort. All of the speakers on the call named their favorite Swift song, including Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who said “Snow on the Beach” was his.
The Zoom call raised more than $113,000, according to organizers. Swift said at an Eras Tour concert in Zurich in July that 113 was her “favorite number.” Donations continued to pour in after the call.
The “Swifties for Kamala” call is the latest example of interest and identity-based groups organizing online for the vice presidency during what has turned out to be a shortened campaign period following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race late last month.
The Harris campaign and its allies are using virtual rallies to quickly mobilize volunteers and raise money.
Harris entered August with $377 million in cash on hand, compared to $327 million for former President Donald Trump, whose fundraising lagged behind that of his Democratic opponents, whether Biden or Harris, for most of the campaign.
King entertained those in attendance Tuesday with a short performance of “Shake it Off,” her favorite Swift song, and offered some tips on how to effectively knock on doors and convince voters to support Harris.
“I’ve been a political activist for years. I’ve done volunteer work and gone door to door, even when I was famous,” King said.
“They are resilient and know how to take on tyrants,” Warren said in the phone call. “That’s what Harris’ campaign is about. Standing up to tyrants like Donald Trump.”
Other speakers on Tuesday’s conference call included Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont and North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Anderson Clayton.
Swift is not part of the group and did not participate in the call, but organizers said on social media that she is “always welcome to come to our party.”
Swift’s fan base has grown over the past year as she toured nationally and internationally, played to sold-out crowds and began a romantic relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
Democrats have long sought Swift’s endorsement. Biden’s campaign secretly hoped for her support for months before he stepped down and endorsed Harris as the frontrunner. Last week, there were strong rumors that Swift or Beyoncé might perform at the Democratic National Convention, but neither showed up.
Trump had openly asked for Swift’s support earlier this year in a post on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns. Earlier this month, he posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of her offering her support, which she never gave.
Swift has hinted that she might become politically active this election cycle. Last September, the anguished millennial poet posted a short message on Instagram urging her hundreds of millions of followers to register to vote. Afterward, the website Swift directed her fans to — the nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org — recorded more than 35,000 voter registrations, according to the organization.
In 2020, Swift supported Biden for president.
A number of other pop culture icons were present at the Democratic Party Convention last week, including television executive Oprah Winfrey, musician Stevie Wonder, actress Mindy Kaling and singer John Legend.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
