Shortly after the presidential debate on Tuesday, September 10, Taylor Swift endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris, the democratic nominee for president. Swift’s endorsement was posted to her Instagram account  after the conclusion of Tuesday’s debate. In the caption of the post, she wrote that she will be voting for Harris “because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them”. Swift also praised the vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz, and his support of issues like LGBTQ rights and access to IVF. Swift’s endorsement wasn’t a shock to many of her supporters, given her past history of political involvement.

Swift rarely makes political statements, but in 2020, she publicly endorsed Joe Biden and continuously posted information about registering to vote up until the 2020 election. Due to Swift’s previous support of democratic candidates, many of Swift’s supporters were surprised that the singer didn’t immediately endorse Harris when her campaign was first announced. Many of her celebrity counterparts publicly endorsed Harris in the days following her campaign announcement, and Swift’s initial lack of support was notable. Speculation over the singer’s political alignment further grew when she didn’t denounce Donald Trump after he made a post falsely claiming that she had endorsed his candidacy. Swift has an incredibly diverse fanbase, and many of these fans were relieved that the singer took a clear political stance. Swift’s Instagram post gained 1 million likes in the first 15 minutes after it was posted, and has since gained over 10 million more. In addition to the endorsement, she also posted information about registering to vote on her Instagram story. Celebrity endorsements don’t guarantee an increase in support, and Swift’s endorsement isn’t likely to change the minds of strongly conservative voters. However, her endorsement may increase the Harris campaign’s support among young voters, who make up a large section of Swift’s fanbase.