Pop icon, Grammy darling, Super Bowl sweetheart… political kingmaker?

With her sold-out “Eras Tour” generating a whopping $5 billion economic impact, Taylor Swift has solidified her status as a music industry powerhouse. But her influence extends far beyond catchy tunes and dazzling stage presence. As she evolves from apolitical star to outspoken advocate, she’s ignited a heated debate: Can Taylor Swift swing the 2024 election?

Swift’s massive fanbase, spanning demographics and generations, gives her unparalleled reach. Political experts see her endorsements as potential game-changers, while both Democrats and Republicans analyze her every move. However, her outspoken stances – from LGBTQ+ rights to voter mobilization – create friction, particularly among conservatives who view her as a threat to their values.

“Similar to how someone with a large social circle can influence others more in relationships, Swift has a wide fan base that gives her a substantial cross-demographic reach,” said Sophie Cress, a LMFT and certified Gottman therapist. “Because of her broad appeal, she has the ability to influence a significant number of voters through her endorsements and remarks, which makes her an invaluable ally for political candidates looking to garner support.”

Despite criticisms, Swift’s influence shouldn’t be underestimated. Her fanbase skews young and liberal, demographics with rising voter turnout. Studies show growth in her fanbase in swing states like Florida, Iowa and Michigan, potentially swaying votes, and fans themselves acknowledge her potential to impact their views.

This season, with Swifties worldwide glued to her every action, her boyfriend is playing in the Super Bowl, and the election looming, one question resounds: Is Swift about to reshape the 2024 landscape?

An overview of Swift’s political moves

Early in her career, Swift avoided political stances. However, her 2017 sexual assault trial fueled a shift, as she stated in her documentary, “Miss Americana”: “Next time there’s an opportunity to change anything, you better know what you stand for.”

“What’s important about Taylor Swift is that she knows her value is more in her music and the genuine apolitical trust she earns with fans, not her politics. That’s why her rare entries into politics make such an impact,” Kelly Ferguson, a former lobbyist and current public affairs director at Proven Media Solutions, said.

A year after the trial, Swift “couldn’t stop thinking about it. I just thought to myself, ‘Next time there is any opportunity to change anything, you better know what you stand for and what you want to say,’” Swift said in the 2018 footage from the film.

Since then, Swift has publicly endorsed candidates, encouraged voter registration, and voiced opinions on issues like gun control and LGBTQ+ rights. Her endorsement of Tennessee Democrats in 2018 led to a surge in voter registrations, showcasing her potential influence.

The impact extends beyond statistics. Vote.org found that more than 169,000 new people had registered to vote 48 hours after Swift’s Instagram post backing up the Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections, according to an Oct. 2018 article from The Guardian. In comparison, only about 57,000 new voters registered the entire month of August 2018.

“Given many of her fans are women and the consistent gender gap in vote choice as well as the focus on women’s rights after the Dobbs decision, increased interest in who she may endorse makes sense,” said Mary-Kate Lizotte, political scientist at Augusta University.

In August 2020, Swift enthusiastically responded to U.S. President Joe Biden’s announcement of Kamala Harris as the Vice Presidential candidate with a resounding “YES.” Later that same year, in October, she employed a creative approach, using cookies and an interview with V Magazine to articulate her reasons for supporting Biden in the upcoming election.

Expressing the timing of her announcement during the Vice Presidential debate, Swift stated, “So apt that it comes out on the night of the VP debate. Gonna be watching and supporting Kamala Harris by yelling at the TV a lot. And I also have custom cookies,” in her post.

Swift’s political impact persisted, evidenced by her influential Instagram story on National Voter Registration Day in 2023. According to a 2023 NPR article citing Vote.org, the post resulted in over 35,000 new registrations. This ongoing influence positions her as a valuable asset for both Democrats and Republicans, as highlighted by Cress.

“Her comments and endorsements might be viewed by those who would not normally be interested in party politics, which could have unexpected effects on the electoral landscape,” Cress said.

Who does her advocacy benefit?

While Swift has spoken out on issues like Black Lives Matter and gun control, some criticize her advocacy as lacking intersectionality, meaning it primarily benefits white women.

“Swift still hasn’t meaningfully demonstrated that she’s intersectional or inclusive in her advocacy. She simply seems to be a white feminist whose platform occasionally overlaps with the myriad issues women of color face,” writer Anika Sapra said in a 2023 article for the Women’s Media Center.

In 2022, Swift was criticized for her music video for the song “Anti-Hero.”She later removed a scene depicting her standing on a scale as it tells her she is “FAT,” and while removing the “fat” scene was praised, some felt it perpetuated a white-centric view of eating disorders.

Those online called out Swift for including the scene in the first place, stating that it “suggests that fat becomes a feminist issue only in the context of the harms of eating disorders from a white woman’s perspective, within market-friendly celebrity feminism,” authors Kristin Rodier and Heather McLean wrote for The Conversation in 2022.

Swift again garnered criticism after rumors she was dating the 1975 frontman Matt Healy, whose controversies include making racist jokes about the rapper Ice Spice, she never addressed it directly. She instead put out a remix to her song “Karma” featuring Ice Spice, which critics raised concerns about.

“For a lot of Swifties, that feels like a betrayal. Though, I would argue, it could be reframed as a necessary reckoning for these fans: Demanding Swift or any celebrity whom you are parasocially obsessed with live up to the ideals you have of them in your head is a losing game,” writer and filmmaker Kady Ruth Ashcraft said in a 2023 article for Jezebel.

What do conservatives say about her?

Conservatives’ opinions on Taylor Swift and her political influence vary widely, ranging from support to strong criticism. Public perception of the singer among conservatives has also shifted over time, with her recent political engagements sparking more criticism.

Swift is continuing her tour internationally along with being spotted with boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, despite the couple facing conservative criticism for factors including Swift’s political stance, Kelce’s recent Pfizer ads, and Super Bowl conspiracy theories, a Sept. 2023 article from Slate said.

“The last time I checked, conservatives celebrated football as the rough-and-tumble game of American gladiators. And here one of the toughest of them — a beast of a tight end — lands the biggest female pop star in the country, and they see the tentacles of powerful forces promoting the Biden 2024 campaign,” writer Rich Lowry said in a Jan. 31 article for Politico.

Previous endorsements suggest that she supports more Democratic individuals according to David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University. Nevertheless, that has not stopped the recent Republican conspiracy theories from pouring in.

For example, former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in a Jan. 29 post on X decided to add in his two cents if Swift’s Super Bowl appearance could be a political move.

“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl next month. And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall. Just some wild speculation over here, let’s see how it ages over the next 8 months,” Ramaswamy said.

The tweet was in response to Jack Posobiec, the alt-right senior editor of Human Events, who was discussing Swift’s “political evolution” on the site.

“The right sees celebrities, Hollywood and the entertainment industry as promoting values that run contrary to their vision of conformity to social norms … Swift reflects a more modern set of beliefs, values and social norms, so she is viewed as part of the threat that is undermining what the right wing would like to see in society,” Steger said.

Regardless, She endorsed Biden last year and “fund-raising appeals from Ms. Swift could be worth millions of dollars for Mr. Biden,” a Jan. 29 article from the New York Times said.

In Sept. 2023, Cali. Governor Gavin Newsom, who is also a major surrogate for Biden, told TMZ that Swift can have major influence on the 2024 election.

“Taylor Swift stands tall and unique. What she was able to accomplish in getting young people activated to consider that they have a voice and they should have a voice in the next election, I think it’s profoundly powerful,” Newsom said.

Stars and votes: A dangerous mix?

In this month alone, Swift has clinched Grammys and is gearing up to attend the year’s biggest football game with her spotlighted boyfriend. Her influence and reach has the ability to grow even farther, which can negatively affect the issues our society already faces, Alfred Archer, associate professor at Tilburg University, said.

“The charismatic power that celebrities have, at least over their fans, can also be dangerous, as their fans might be willing to accept political views they would otherwise be resistant to. This is a problem, given the democratic ideal that everyone should be equal in the political arena and that no force bar that of the better argument should influence political decision making,” Archer said.

Swift’s connection with her fanbase adds to the potential influence that she can have over their beliefs, including politics.

Swifties across the country in a Feb. 6 article from the Guardian shared how impactful Swift’s endorsement would be on their own political views.

“I think she could, potentially, absolutely change my mind politically, because she is a strong woman who is a role model to my 24-year-old daughter and who is unafraid to speak her mind to old, misogynistic, males who can’t find the ability to respect a woman, any woman,” Michael Dee, an investment banker from Dallas, Texas, said in the article.

This points to a bigger issue of how much control and influence celebrities have overall in the political space.

Today’s culture and social media could be contributing to the problem, with 53% of U.S. adults “sometimes” or “often” using social media to get their news, according to a 2021 study from the Pew Research Center.

“We live in a much denser media environment, in which ideas, narratives and attitudes are conveyed in lightning quick ways with potential to reach further across society (going viral). In this environment, we are seeing more attention to celebrities, but also some politicians are embracing the phenomenon,” Wayne Steger, a political science professor at DePaul University said, pointing to figures like Trump and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez.

For the public, there is a need for more transparent and reliable information, Georgina Mills, a PhD candidate at Tilburg University, said.

“More accessibility to reliable news sources, easy to parse sources of important information, and better education on how to do your own research into political matters might help. If news sources and politicians are seen as untrustworthy, people might turn to who they do trust, and that might just be their favorite celebrity,” Mills said.

When it comes to celebrities’ responsibility, Archer states that they must understand the power that they hold and not misuse it.

“This does not mean that they cannot share their political opinions and explain why. But they should be careful not to pose as experts on topics outside their expertise. We saw during the COVID pandemic the major influence celebrities can have … It might be helpful if celebrities accepted that they do not have to speak about every issue,” Archer said.

Time will tell if Swift eventually endorses a political candidate this election season. Even so, the impact that celebrities on her level can have on society overall is continuing to be seen.