Politics

/

ArcaMax

Taylor Swift, a Berks County native, ignited a prepared Pennsylvania base when she endorsed Kamala Harris

Aliya Schneider, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in Political News

PHILADELPHIA -- Swifties had already begun organizing for Vice President Kamala Harris en masse before their “Fearless” leader’s endorsement on Tuesday. Now their impact is poised to grow — especially in the key battleground state where singer Taylor Swift was born.

Already, Swift loyalists have raised tens of thousands of dollars for Harris’ campaign and voter registration efforts, and, following the musician’s Instagram post Tuesday endorsing Harris, hundreds of thousands of people visited a voter registration website.

Embracing the strong bond that comes with their fandom, Swifties are well-positioned to make an impact in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state that former President Donald Trump and Harris both see as crucial for their paths to the White House. Swifties are multigenerational, but they skew younger — a voting bloc particularly important for a Democratic win that both candidates have their eyes on.

Michele Ramsey, who teaches a class about Taylor Swif t at Pennsylvania State University’s Berks County campus, said the biggest impact of Swift’s endorsement isn’t necessarily changing people’s views, but rather garnering engagement and registration, as demonstrated by Swift’s endorsement post prompting more than 400,00 visitors to vote.gov within 24 hours. Ramsey, 56, said that Swift’s (at least appearance of) authenticity is key, and multiple Swifties said they appreciated her focus on people doing their own research in her announcement, which has garnered over 10 million likes on Instagram.

Ramsey, of Reading, also thinks attacks on women’s rights from the Republican Party and a post by conservative tycoon Elon Musk that has been painted as creepy are only motivating Democratic-leaning Swifties more during a moment in pop culture where “women’s stories are central to popular culture,” a la Swift, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, and the like.

“It feels like a really bad time to poke the Swiftie bear, but they’re doing it,” Ramsey said. “They have a very strong parasocial relationship with Taylor,” she added of Swifties.

Swifties for Kamala

One group of Swifties formed immediately after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris: Swifties for Kamala (S4K). The group is entirely run by volunteers, including Philadelphia-based digital mastermind Annie Wu Henry, a political and digital strategist working as the group’s campaign manager. Henry has previously worked for Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D.-N.Y.

The group’s inaugural Zoom call boasted guest speakers including singer-songwriter Carole King, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D.-Mass., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., and Pennsylvania’s own Swiftie Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Pittsburgh-area Democrat. More than 20,000 people tuned in.

“We are abundantly aware of how important Pennsylvania is in this election cycle,” said Henry, who grew up in Central Pennsylvania.

Though she was tight-lipped on state-specific plans, she said the group will ensure it will “activate the community” to mobilize in the commonwealth.

But the group has already shown an impact, and Pennsylvanians are playing a larger role than Swifties in other swing states.

The group has tallied nearly 100,00 “actions,” which it classifies as checking your registration, registering to vote, or making a voting plan, Henry said.

Nearly 80% of those 100,000 actions were completed by Gen Z and millennial voters, according to Henry. And of those actions, 33% were in swing states, including more than 7% in Pennsylvania, the highest rate among those states.

In a Discord group chat of more than 3,500 Swifties, S4K has identified more than 185 who live in Pennsylvania.

S4K has raised nearly $165,000 for the Harris campaign through ActBlue and more than $13,000 for voter outreach and registration groups through the group’s merchandise sales. S4K also has more than 7,000 e-mail newsletter subscribers.

The group’s efforts are for Swifties, by Swifties. Its custom merch was designed by a Swiftie and is sold through Social Goods, whose founders are part of the fandom.

The group incentivizes its members to get electorally engaged through a sweepstakes to win tickets to Swift’s Eras Tour through Fan Out, a company also created by a Swiftie. People get entries by getting their friends to check their voter registration and create voting plans, and more entries if they’re in a swing state.

Morgan Strehlow, a literary agent who runs the S4K Threads account, said she has been impressed by young fans taking the reins of the movement, most of whom are in their 20s, with a few in their 30s. Strehlow, 34, copyedited a mission statement that was drafted by college students when she first got involved.

“Since then, a lot of really, really impressive people have gotten involved,” she said.

Strehlow believes that the group’s ability to weave Swift references into election discourse makes politics more accessible. For example, she’s been able to break the ice by discussing political themes in Swift’s songs with her younger sister, a fellow Swiftie whom she typically wouldn’t discuss politics with.

“It’s given me a comfortable door to walk into that conversation with someone in my life who it’d be hard to otherwise,” she said.

 

The ‘endorsement snapped me out of it’

Bryn Mawr resident Lisa Green, 23, who works as an officiant and matchmaker, said Swift’s endorsement inspired her to share her political views online again. Green was an outspoken politically involved teenager, but she closed off in 2020, afraid to speak out among rising polarization.

“That endorsement kind of snapped me out of it,” she said.

Green said she sees a lot of similarities between Harris and Swift.

“They both just make me feel so empowered as a woman, and they both uplift community, and uplift friendship and compassion,” she said, adding that they both make her feel like her beliefs “are worthy of being proud of and standing up for.”

Other Swifties have flocked together in Pennsylvania, like Katie Lehatto-Kopcik, 43, who created a Facebook group for Berks County Swiftie Harris supporters. The Sinking Spring resident just started the group with a few of her friends, and now it has 368 members (though not all are Pennsylvania residents). She described the group as a small community for sharing ideas, joys, and frustrations.

“I’m a nurse, I’m a mom. I don’t know what I’m doing,” she said. “I just put this together, and people just started reaching out.”

A local Democratic leader saw the group, and now the Swiftie is a local Democratic committee member. She shares local events with members of the group, like a friendship bracelet-making event organized by the Democratic Party to support U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and Harris.

“We don’t all attend everything, but we all attend something,” she said.

Gena Jaffe, a business owner and lawyer who lives in Newtown, hung up a Swifties for Kamala yard sign in her Bucks County neighborhood, which is otherwise full of Trump signs. Jaffe, 39, took it upon herself to plan a comedy show fundraiser for Harris, which featured also Harris-themed Swiftie-style friendship bracelets. Though she’s too busy to plan another, she said the last-minute plan brought 40 people together and raised more than $2,000 for the Harris campaign.

For some, mixed emotions

Swift’s endorsement caused whiplash for some supporters, particularly in the queer community, who felt betrayed by photos of her embracing former soccer player Brittany Mahomes, who went viral for “liking” Trump’s platform on Instagram and has been praised by Trump as a “big MAGA fan.”

Sophia Schiaroli, 25, a Philly-based LGBTQ content creator and Swiftie, felt bittersweet about Swift’s endorsement.

“I’m ecstatic and so over the moon that she endorsed Kamala, but I’m not going to forget how it felt when she remained silent for so long and remains silent on so many issues that she has the voice to speak on,” Schiaroli said on her Instagram story on Wednesday.

Some figured that Swift was waiting for the European leg of her Eras tour to conclude after a terroristic threat was directed at her concert.

Schiaroli attended a Harris campaign watch party on Cherry Street Pier on debate night — the same one that Harris dropped in on for a surprise appearance. Also in attendance was Bridget McFadden, 29, a Philly-based content creator who focuses on comedy and Taylor Swift content.

They both posted about Swift’s endorsement with excitement Tuesday night. Harris’ campaign also embraced it, playing Swift’s “The Man” as she walked off the stage and releasing Swiftie-style friendship bracelets in a flurry.

McFadden has previously posted a video with Gov. Josh Shapiro asking him if he prefers Beyoncé or Swift. Seemingly paralyzed by the decision, he went with Swift, who is from Berks County. Shapiro lauded the singer’s endorsement, telling NewsNation that he’s in his “Speak Now era” and that “her speaking out is a big darn deal.”

McFadden thinks it’s easy to connect Swift’s fandom with Harris because the West Reading native has “always been an advocate for women’s rights and being a strong woman,” she said. She said some of Swift’s music, and the Eras tour in itself, is “just very girl power.”

“You can feel that, and I think that it just very much aligns with like — it’s time. We need, we want, a woman in the office now,” McFadden said.

She suggested listening to “Only the Young,” one of Swift’s most political songs.


©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Jeff Danziger Pat Byrnes Darrin Bell Phil Hands Pat Bagley Rick McKee