Swifties For Kamala let the election campaigning begin – without Taylor Swift
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Kelly Jacobs, a Democratic Party delegate from Mississippi, brought 1,000 friendship bracelets to the party’s convention in Chicago.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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UNITED STATES – American pop star Taylor Swift has yet to endorse a candidate for president this election season, but some of her fans are entering their political era by organising for Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats, joined American singer-songwriter Carole King and about 15,000 others on a video conference on Aug 27 to kick-start Swifties For Kamala’s organising efforts.
The speakers mentioned their favourite Swift song on the call, including Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who said Snow On The Beach (2022) was his.
The call on Zoom brought in more than US$113,000 (S$147,000), organisers said. (Incidentally, Swift said in July that 113 was her “favourite number” at her 113th Eras Tour concert in Zurich, Switzerland). Donations continued to roll in after the call concluded.
The Swifties For Kamala call is the latest example of affinity- and identity-based groups organising online for the Vice-President in what has turned out to be a truncated campaign period after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in late July.
The Harris campaign and allies have embraced virtual gatherings to quickly mobilise volunteers and raise money.
Ms Harris entered August with US$377 million cash on hand, compared with US$327 million for former President Donald Trump, whose Republican fund-raising has lagged behind his Democratic opponents – whether Mr Biden or Ms Harris – for most of the campaign.
King serenaded attendees on Aug 27 with a brief rendition of Shake It Off (2014), her favourite Swift song, and offered some tips for how to effectively knock on doors to convince voters to support Ms Harris.
“I’ve been a political activist for years. I’ve been a volunteer and I’ve been a door-knocker, even as a famous person,” King said.
“You are resilient and you know how to take on bullies,” Ms Warren said on the call. “That’s what the Harris campaign is all about. Sticking up to bullies like Donald Trump.”
Other speakers on the call included Representative Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Representative Becca Balint of Vermont and North Carolina Democratic Party chair Anderson Clayton.
Swift is not affiliated with the group and did not attend the call, but the organisers said on social media that she was “always welcome to show up to our party”.
The 34-year-old pop queen’s massive following has grown over the past year as she has toured across the US and internationally, playing to sold-out sports stadiums, and as she began a romantic relationship with Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce.
The Democratic ticket had been eager to secure Swift’s backing. Mr Biden’s campaign privately hoped for months to land her endorsement before he stood aside and backed Ms Harris for the top of the ticket.
Rumours circulated last week that Swift or American music star Beyonce could perform at the Democratic National Convention, though neither ended up making an appearance.
(From left) Ms Hope Walz, Mr Gus Walz, Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz and Mrs Gwen Walz after a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug 21.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
However, friendship bracelets – the summer-camp staples co-opted by Swifties – were spotted all over the place. These accessories have taken on new meaning for many Democratic Party supporters, who see them as a way to build community.
On Aug 28, when Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota delivered his prime-time speech, his 23-year-old daughter Hope had friendship bracelets around her wrist.
On Aug 27, Ms Kari Breker, a 41-year-old delegate from North Dakota, was wearing a stack of bracelets that she had made with other delegates from her state before the convention. Among their colourful beads were others with letters that spelled “Kamala”, “North Dakota 4 Harris”, “Kamala 2024”, “we choose freedom” and “we are not going back”.
Friendship bracelets, said Ms Breker, tap “this female power that Taylor Swift brings out in women, that Kamala also is clearly bringing out in women as well, and girls”.
Bayly Hoehne, a 16-year-old high-school student from Connecticut and the chief of staff at Voters Of Tomorrow, a left-leaning group that focuses on reaching out to members of Gen Z, had noticed an overlap in enthusiasm for Swift and Ms Harris among Gen Zers, including some, like her, who are not yet eligible to vote.
She had flown to Chicago for the convention from London, where she had attended a concert on the European leg of Swift’s Eras Tour.
“There’s the Swiftie community,” she said, “but I also think there’s the community that’s really excited to elect Kamala Harris, Gen Z being a very big part of that”.
Trump also openly sought Swift’s support earlier in 2024 in a post on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns. Earlier in August, he posted an artificial intelligence-created image of her offering her endorsement, which she never gave.
Swift has signalled she may get politically active this cycle. Last September, the tortured poet of the millennial generation posted a short message on Instagram encouraging her hundreds of millions of followers to register to vote.
Afterwards, the website Swift directed her fans to – the non-partisan non-profit Vote.org – recorded more than 35,000 voter registrations, according to the organisation. In 2020, Swift endorsed Mr Biden for president. BLOOMBERG/NYTIMES
