(New York) American pop star Taylor Swift has yet to take a stand in the US presidential race, but a fan group, “Swifties for Kamala” Harris, has attracted tens of thousands of supporters, including some celebrities, and funds for the Democratic candidate’s campaign.
Published at 6:24 p.m.
Maggy DONALDSON Agence France-Presse
Less than 24 hours after a video conference kickoff meeting attended by 27,000 people, “Swifties for Kamala” claimed more than $140,000 in donations. The group’s goal: “to transform our ‘Swiftie’ power into political power.”
Since US President Joe Biden withdrew from the campaign on July 21, support groups for new Democratic candidate Kamala Harris have flourished on the internet, but that of the “Swifties” is one of the most prominent.
At the launch event, American singer and author Carole King encouraged fans to campaign, as did Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand.
“I’m a swiftie, Taylor and I are friends […] “If any of you are thinking about getting involved, knocking on doors or making phone calls, but are a little nervous about what you might say, trust me: there is nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said Carole King, known for her songs I Feel The Earth Move et You’ve Got A Friend.
PHOTO JACQUELYN MARTIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris
“Swifties are the leaders who will win this election,” added Democratic Senator Ed Markey.
Targeted
With her status as a global celebrity, and fans known for their fervor in defending her on social networks – she has 284 million subscribers on Instagram – a possible position taken by Taylor Swift during the campaign would be widely relayed. But the singer, the magazine’s person of the year Time in 2023, is known for her reluctance to enter the political arena. She is not affiliated with the “Swifties for Kamala” group.
Having remained silent in 2016, during the presidential election won by Donald Trump, she ended up supporting Democratic candidates in the 2018 legislative elections in her state of Tennessee to oppose a very conservative Republican elected official, Marsha Blackburn.
Taylor Swift went on to endorse Joe Biden in 2020 and champion messages of openness towards LGBT+ communities in her songs, also condemning the decision by the conservative-majority US Supreme Court to overturn the federal guarantee of abortion rights in the United States.
Now considered to be leaning towards the Democrats, Taylor Swift is regularly the target of conspiracy theories carried by the extreme right and supporters of Donald Trump.
Launched by a fan of the singer, Emerald Medrano, the “Swifties for Kamala”, who have 72,000 subscribers on X and nearly 50,000 on Instagram, assure that they are not looking for possible support from Taylor Swift.
On its website, the group advocates for the protection of LGBTQIA+ and reproductive rights, support for migrants and serious consideration of climate change, as well as “a permanent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.”
