Pop star Taylor Swift has yet to endorse a candidate for president this election season, but some of her fans are entering their political era by organizing for 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 Tuesday to kickstart Swifties for Kamala’s organizing efforts. All of the speakers mentioned their favourite Swift song on the call, including Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who said “Snow on the Beach” was his.
The call on Zoom raked in more than $113,000, organizers said. Swift said in July that 113 was her “favorite number” at an Eras Tour concert in Zurich. Donations continued to roll in after the call concluded.
The Swifties for Kamala call is the latest example of affinity and identity-based groups organizing online for the vice president in what has turned out to be a truncated campaign period after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race late last month.
The Harris campaign and allies have embraced virtual gatherings to quickly mobilize volunteers and raise money.
Harris entered August with $377 million cash on hand compared to $327 million for former President Donald Trump, whose fundraising has lagged behind his Democratic opponents – whether Biden or Harris – for most of the campaign.
King serenaded attendees Tuesday with a brief rendition of “Shake it Off,” her favorite Swift song, and she offered some tips for how to effectively knock on doors to convince voters to support Harris.
“I’ve been a political activist for years. I’ve been a volunteer and I’ve been a door-knocker, even as a famous person,” King said.
“You are resilient and you know how to take on bullies,” Warren said on the call. “That’s what the Harris campaign is all about. Sticking up to bullies like Donald Trump.”
Other speakers on Tuesday’s call included Representative Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvnia, Representative Becca Balint of Vermont, and North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton.
Swift is not affiliated with the group and she did not attend the call, but the organizers said on social media that she was “always welcome to show up to our party.”
Swift’s massive following has grown over the past year as she has toured across the country and internationally, playing to sold-out sports stadiums, and as she began a romantic relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
The Democratic ticket had been eager to secure Swift’s backing. Biden’s campaign privately hoped for months to land her endorsement before he stood aside and backed Harris for the top of the ticket. Rumours circulated heavily last week that Swift or Beyonce could perform at the Democratic National Convention, though neither ended up making an appearance.
Trump openly sought 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-created image of her offering her endorsement, which she never gave.
Swift has signalled she may get politically active this cycle. Last September, the tortured poet of the Millennial generation posted a short message on Instagram encouraging her hundreds of millions of followers to register to vote. Afterwards, 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 endorsed Biden for president.
The Democratic National Convention last week showcased an array of other pop culture icons – 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.)
