Taylor Swift breaks political silence, backs Democrats in midterm race
Taylor Swift has long shied away from politics, a silence which has led to intense criticism from both sides of politics.
But on Sunday night, the pop monarch at last voiced her political stance on the upcoming midterm elections on Nov. 6.
Swift, who'll be voting in the state of Tennessee, actively voiced her concerns for Republican Marsha Blackburn, and backed Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper.
"In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift captioned her post.
"As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn," Swift wrote, confirming she will instead be voting for Bredesen for Senate and Cooper for the House of Representatives.
"[Blackburn's] voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape.
"She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values."
Bredesen responded to Swift's post on Twitter, writing that he was "honored" to have the pop star's support.
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Swift had prefaced her opinion against Blackburn in her post by stating that she "always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.
"I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG," she continued. "I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love."
Swift urged people to register to vote in Tennessee by Oct. 9, especially those who have just turned 18 in the last two years (which is likely many of Swift's fans).
"For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway," she wrote.
"So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count."
For the last decade, Swift has for the most part kept her political views to herself, a silence she's gained widespread criticism on both sides of the aisle for.
In 2008, Swift wrote on her Myspace page, "Republicans do it better," but in 2009, she told Rolling Stone, "I've never seen this country so happy about a political decision in my entire time of being alive," in public support for Barack Obama.
Swift indicated her support for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election with an extremely subtle Instagram post — her sweater was the clue, although we don't know who she actually voted for. However, the singer's lack of political engagement saw her adopted by the white supremacist movement. Swift also notably attempted to sue a blogger criticizing her silence on the matter.
Since then, Swift has been an active campaigner in the #MeToo movement following her own experience with a DJ who groped her in 2013.
And in March, the pop star publicly supported the March for Our Lives campaign to end gun violence, helmed by teen activists who survived the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Swift posted on Instagram about her donation to the cause, and advocated to "support gun reform."
Needless to say, fans were incredibly psyched to see Swift breaking her silence this time around.
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Others couldn't help but compare Swift's political post with that of another music icon, which is kind of perfect:
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Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.
