What the Taylor Swift endorsement of Kamala Harris means for the November election

Democrats believe Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris could encourage more young voters to turn out in November, but recent polling indicates the pop star’s support might not greatly affect voter decisions at the ballot box.

Swift, an outspoken critic of former President Trump, endorsed Harris after the presidential debate Tuesday. In an Instagram post that she signed ‘childless cat lady,’ the pop icon said Harris ‘fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.’ 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom told Fox News Digital from the debate spin room the endorsement ‘matters.’

‘Some advice to Donald Trump. Don’t disparage that endorsement at your own peril,’ he said. ‘She is a cultural icon. Something big has happened in the world in terms of the energy, environment she’s associated with. The optimism she’s associated with. That was a big deal.’

One Democratic strategist told Fox News Digital that Swift’s support could encourage more voters to turn out at the polls.

‘It absolutely will impact young voter turnout. And Trump knows it,’ said Jessica Tarlov, a Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor. ‘What’s important about how she did it is that she explained her thinking and how past experience — the AI-generated images of her — have impacted her personally and her decision.

‘This isn’t the Taylor Swift of 2018, wondering whether she should wade into politics. This is 2024 Taylor Swift, who knows who she is and isn’t afraid of backlash for saying what she believes.’

A Suffolk University/USA Today poll from May reported that about 83% of respondents say that a Swift endorsement would ‘not at all’ influence their decision on who to vote for in November. 

Recent polls suggest Harris leads Trump among young voters, traditionally Swift’s main support base.

According to a recent New York Times/Siena survey, Harris leads Trump by 10 percentage points among voters aged 18-29.

‘As a first-time voter this November, my peers and I will not be voting for Kamala Harris because Taylor Swift and her cats told us to do so,’ Brilyn Hollyhand, RNC Youth Advisory Council Chairman and a Generation Z voter, told Fox about the endorsement.

‘I think when you look at it, it’s not actually making any difference. This is all vibes and no policy,’ he said. ‘I think no amount of pop stars or viral memes that she’s trying to do are going to make Gen Z vote for her when she has no plans to fix the nation she’s broken.’

Trump told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Wednesday he wasn’t surprised by the endorsement and is ‘not a Taylor Swift fan.’

‘It was just a question of time. She couldn’t […] possibly endorse Biden. You look at Biden, you couldn’t possibly endorse him,’ Trump said.

‘But she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat. And she’ll probably pay a price for it […] in the marketplace.’

While an endorsement might not make or break a decision, a Monmouth University poll released in February found that 68% of respondents are OK with Swift encouraging her fans to vote this cycle.

Following the endorsement, the Harris-Walz campaign released friendship bracelets for purchase on its website that appear similar to those worn by fans during Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.