Kamala Harris campaign launch Taylor Swift-themed ads after endorsement

13 September, 2024

Taylor Swift and Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris has launched various Taylor Swift-themed adverts after the singer formally endorsed her earlier this week.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) launched billboards in New York City and Las Vegas today (September 13) reading ‘We’re in our Kamala era!’ and ‘A New Way Forward… Ready For It?’.

According to People, the NYC billboard is located 22 stories above the iconic red steps in Times Square, a possible reference to Swift’s songs ’22’ and ‘Red’.

Meanwhile, one of the billboards in Las Vegas features a photo of Trump with the caption “Exhausted with this guy?”

In a statement, DNC communications director Rosemary Boeglin said [via The Week]: “As we drive the contrast between Vice President Harris’ New Way Forward and Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, which would rip away reproductive rights and rig the economy against working families, we’re reminding voters that it is critical to speak now to dump Trump and enter our Kamala era.”

Swift’s post endorsing Harris directly caused a sharp spike in voter registration. According to CNN correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and CNN‘s Senior White House producer Betsy Klein, nearly half a million people visited Vote.gov directly from the link Swift shared within 24 hours of her post – up from around 30,000 site visitors a day.

According to data firm TargetSmart’s senior adviser Tom Bonier, Swift’s endorsement of Harris has directly led to a “400 per cent or 500 per cent increase” in voter registration – resulting in 9000 to 10,000 registrations per hour. Bonier added that the spike is “unlike anything” he’s ever seen.

In her post, she championed Kamala Harris as a “steady-handed, gifted leader”, and that Swift believes “we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos”. Swift also said Harris “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them”.

Following Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump said the singer will “probably pay a price” for her decision. “I was not a Taylor Swift fan,” he began. “It was just a question of time. She couldn’t possibly endorse Biden… 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.”

Swift endorsed Biden in the 2020 election, when he ran against Trump, and has criticised Trump in the past too. In June, Trump described her as “unusually beautiful”, and in August shared AI-generated images falsely suggesting he had support from the singer and her fans.

Taylor Swift is now the latest musician to throw her support behind Kamala Harris. Other big-name acts like Charli XCX, Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion, P!nk, Bon Iver, Quavo and more have come out in support of Harris as she continues to campaign ahead of this November’s election.

Following her endorsement of Kamala Harris, Swift attended the 2024 MTV VMAs, where she won seven of the 10 awards she was nominated for. She also won the night’s biggest award, Video Of The Year, making her the only artist to ever take home the prize three years in a row.

Her haul included Song of the Summer, Best Collaboration, Best Direction and Best Editing – all of which were for ‘Fortnight’,  her ‘The Tortured Poets Department collaboration with Post Malone. She also took home huge awards including Artist of the Year and Best Pop.

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