Taylor Swift Endorsement Hurts Kamala Harris, Poll Suggests

Taylor Swift’s high-profile endorsement may be having an unexpected impact on Kamala Harris’ campaign, according to a new poll.
Following the first debate between Harris and former president Donald Trump this month, Swift announced she was endorsing the vice president in an Instagram post.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris 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 wrote.
The star signed off her message “Childless Cat Lady,” in a reference to comments that Ohio Senator JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, made in 2021, when he described leading Democrats as “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”
Her endorsement came after weeks of speculation, but a new poll indicates that it may not have had the desired affect.
According to the survey, conducted by Quinnipiac University between September 19 and 22, more than three-quarters of likely voters (76 percent) say Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris does not make a difference in their level of enthusiasm about Harris’ candidacy, while 9 percent say it makes them more enthusiastic, and 13 percent say it makes them less enthusiastic about Harris’ candidacy.
Newsweek contacted representatives of Taylor Swift and the Harris presidential campaign for comment via email.
Before Swift endorsed Harris, polls had painted a similar picture, showing an endorsement from the singer could turn voters away from the vice president.
For example, a Newsweek/Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll of 1,750 registered voters conducted on July 29, found that 26 percent of Gen Z voters were “less likely” or “significantly less likely” to vote for a candidate backed by Swift. Members of Gen Z were born between 1997 and 2012, giving them a maximum age of 27.
Experts told Newsweek earlier this month that Swift’s endorsement of Harris is unlikely to have much of an impact.
“While Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris—and her backhanded response to JD Vance’s denigration of female cat owners—has caught the headlines, it is unlikely to cause a considerable surge in Harris’ electability,” Dafydd Townley, who teaches American politics at the University of Portsmouth, said. “The vast majority of Swifties registered to vote, if not all of them, would have likely voted for Harris before the endorsement.”
However, Thomas Gift, a political scientist who heads the Centre of U.S. Politics at University College London, disagreed telling Newsweek: “Celebrity endorsements generally don’t matter in politics. But Taylor Swift is no ordinary celebrity. She has the power to move national economies with her tours, so it’s hard to say that her endorsement of Harris won’t have an impact.
“At the same time, Swift has always worn her feelings for Trump on her sleeve, so few fans will be surprised by her choice. Trump will try to ‘shake it off,’ but Swift’s influence, particularly among young voters, could have an impact on the margins.”
The Newsweek/Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll found that 34 percent of Gen Z voters were either “more likely” or “significantly more likely” to vote for a Swift-endorsed candidate.
Another poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek among 1,500 eligible voters on May 1, found that 22 percent of 2020 Joe Biden voters would be more likely to vote for a GOP candidate if they were endorsed by Swift. Among 2020 Trump voters, 13 percent said they would be more willing to vote for a Democrat if they had Swift’s public backing.
Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and attended the team’s Super Bowl game against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas in February. At the time, a conspiracy theory was floated by MAGA supporters that the game could be rigged for the Chiefs to ensure maximum exposure for a Swift endorsement of President Biden.
There was no evidence of such a plot, and there was no endorsement at that time from Swift.
Swift endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020.