About a month after VP Kamala Harris became the democratic nominee this summer, Taylor Swift fans organized a massive Zoom fundraising call. It was part of a fantastic trend that was kicked off by Black women for Kamala, and swiftly followed Black men, South Asian women, South Asian men, LGBTQ, white women, and white dudes. The Swifties for Kamala call raised more than $140K! And all of that was still before Taylor endorsed VP Harris. Well, Swifties for Kamala are not done yet! Taylor started the final leg of her Eras Tour in Miami over the weekend, so Swifties for Kamala teamed up with the Florida Democratic Party on the ground to do major GOTV and canvassing efforts while hosting listening parties and live streams of the concerts. Excellent. I’m sure Donald Trump will be crying and waving his exhausted baby fists soon about how unfair it is since Kid Rock isn’t on tour.
The Florida Democratic Party is teaming up with the Swifties for Kamala voter outreach group to host listening parties, statewide canvasses and phone banking. They’ve teed up new merch and live streaming of Swift’s surprise song mash-ups at her shows.
Text banking will prod as many as 1.5 million Florida voters with messages like, “I Know Places You Can Vote” and “How To Get The Girl Elected.” Campaign volunteers will make beaded friendship bracelets that have become a signature accessory among Swift concert-goers, the bulk of whom are Gen Z and Millennial women.
They’re calling it all the “Eras Tour (GOTV Version).”
The Democratic National Committee is getting in on the action with a new Snapchat filter whose banner reads, “In My Voting Era” and “Be fearless for _____.” Users then get to fill in the blank space with words like “Equality,” “Reproductive Rights” or “Climate Action,” and their followers can click on a link to IWillVote.com. The DNC also snapped up Miami concert-area billboards, featuring Harris and messages like, “Welcome to your voting era! Swiftly go to the polls and vote for Democrats!”
There’s no indication that Swift will use her Miami tour to make a political statement. Democrats remember all too well when a widely circulated false rumor that Beyonce would make a surprise appearance at their convention in Chicago got them down bad.
But that isn’t going to stop Democrats from trying to use the opportunity to canvass outside the concert or from doing voter events with Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Florida state House candidate Laura Kelley. And it hasn’t stopped Democrats from wishing Swift would weigh in again on candidates or issues.
“She holds immense power to get out the vote,” said Eden Giagnorio, spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party. “We hope our organizing efforts will help voters connect the dots — but nothing compares to her advocacy around it.”
After all, Swift’s latest album features a song called, “Florida!!!” She has used her platform to encourage people to vote and endorsed other candidates earlier in her career. She recently posted about supporting “a woman’s right to her own body” just as Florida voters are facing a question about abortion on the ballot in November. And Harris’ 60th birthday is on Sunday, the same day Swift’s Miami tour wraps. (Harris is scheduled to campaign in Michigan on Friday and Georgia Saturday.)
“Nothing that Taylor Swift does is accidental,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in Tallahassee this week. “She’s very purposeful in how she interacts with her fans, and so I think that her voice in this election is making a big difference.”
“Nothing that Taylor Swift does is accidental,” may just be the understatement of the century, lol. As of this writing, there’s no reporting that Taylor made any political comments this weekend. She debuted new outfits and songs in the setlist, including TTPD’s “Florida!!!” But the most overt political statement at her concert came from a MAGAt who flew a plane over the venue with a banner saying, “Trump 2024 — Ready For It. Cat Lady? MAGA!” Do you think they meant to put a comma before “Cat Lady?” I’ll add it to the list of reasons to vote for VP Harris: democracy, equality, economy, reproductive rights, climate change, and proper punctuation.
As for the Swifties for Kamala doing this GOTV, I’m thrilled. It’s time for all of us to nail down our voting plans! And I can’t help it, the petty girl in me would love it if Florida, major swing state and current home state to Trump, swung blue. But we can’t take anything for granted. You can go to IWillVote.com to see if you’re registered, check the status of your ballot, or for more info on making your vote plan.
And Happy Birthday to VP Harris yesterday! My gift is coming on Saturday when early voting begins in my area.
Volunteering with @Swifties4Kamala today making bracelets with @FlaDems! Got to give an S4K “in my voting era” friendship bracelet to Florida Democratic Party Chair @NikkiFried. So much fun! pic.twitter.com/hiqsfHqHKr
— Kate Arnold-Murray (@k_arnold_murray) October 19, 2024