Did Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris influence the outcome of the 2024 election?

In 2023, Taylor Swift was named "person of the year" by TIME magazine during her successful Eras Tour, cementing her status as a cultural icon, particularly among young women. However, her endorsement of the Harris-Walz campaign in 2024 was seen as a devastating blow to the Trump campaign.

The outcome of the presidential election, with President-elect Donald Trump winning over Vice President Kamala Harris, suggests that Taylor Swift's endorsement may not have had the desired impact on Democrats and that the Hollywood celebrity endorsement strategy might be breaking down.

Women aged 18-44 voted for Trump at a rate of 44%, while women aged 45 and older supported the former president, now president-elect, at a rate of 48%.

In the aftermath of the presidential debate between Trump and Harris in September, Swift publicly endorsed Harris by sharing her support with her 238 million Instagram followers.

""I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election 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 said on Instagram."

Swift expressed her admiration for Walz's stance on LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and women's rights.

A poll conducted by the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College found that 44% of likely voters nationwide have a positive view of Taylor Swift, while 34% have a negative opinion of her.

According to the poll, 47% of people view Trump positively, while 51% do not. On the other hand, 70% of Democrats have a positive view of Swift, compared to 41% of independents and 23% of Republicans. In contrast, 60% of Republicans had an unfavorable view of Swift, while only 11% of Democrats shared the same sentiment.

Swift has lower favorability numbers among likely voters compared to Trump, according to a September poll.

Swift encouraged first-time voters to register to vote in her endorsement and subsequently shared a link to Vote.gov in an Instagram story, which received over 400,000 visitors in under 24 hours.

Taylor Swift, a childless cat lady, signed an endorsement with love and hope, referencing Vice-President Elect JD Vance's 2021 interview where he said "we're effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies." Vance maintains that the comment was a "willfully misinterpreted" and taken out of context.

Vance questioned the impact of Swift's endorsement on Planet Chronicle.

Vance stated that while many people appreciate Taylor Swift's music, most Americans, regardless of their opinions about her, are unlikely to be swayed by a wealthy celebrity who, in his view, is out of touch with the concerns and needs of the average American.

In recent years, Swift has been vocal about her political views, but has also faced criticism for not speaking out enough, particularly following Trump's victory in 2016.

In 2018, Swift made her first foray into politics by denouncing Republican Tennessee Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn and endorsing her Democratic opponent, former Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, as well as Democratic House candidate Jim Cooper. Additionally, her link to a nonpartisan voter registration site helped boost traffic and new registrations.

In the Netflix documentary "Miss Americana," Swift emotionally revealed to her parents why she decided to enter the political arena with her post against Blackburn and expressed deep regret for not speaking out against Trump in 2016.

In 2019, Taylor Swift released a pro-gay anthem, "You Need to Calm Down," as part of her album "Lover." The song's music video featured prominent LGBT figures and criticized anti-LGBT voices as outdated and ignorant, making fun of internet trolls who disliked her progressive views. Despite this, she faced some backlash from left-wing websites who accused her of appropriating the issue and not being a good ally to their cause.

Prior to the release of the single, Swift launched a petition on Change.org and encouraged fans to write to their senators in support of the Equality Act, a bill aimed at prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The lack of protection for LGBTQ citizens in our country exposes them to the fear of losing their lives due to the discrimination of homophobic or transphobic employers or landlords. This legal vulnerability to the hatred and bigotry of others is unacceptable and disgusting, as stated in the petition.

In the upcoming 2024 presidential election, several other celebrities and Hollywood stars, including Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, George Clooney, Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Julia Roberts, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Charli XCX, Meryl Streep, Spike Lee, and Barbra Streisand, have endorsed the Democratic Party.

This report was contributed to by Greg Norman, David Rutz, and Kristine Parks of Planet Chronicle.