Taylor Swift breaks political silence and endorses two Democrats in Tennessee midterms
Taylor Swift has always kept her political views and opinions to herself, but it looks like the singer is now making an exception. The 'Bad Blood' crooner recently made her first foray into US politics, when she publicly endorsed two Democrats for the upcoming midterm elections, according to the Guardian.
The singer, through an Instagram post, made her political alignment clear to her millions of fans worldwide, while also aligning herself to fight for LGBTQ rights, gender equality, and an end to the "terrifying, sickening and prevalent" racism in the US.
"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 wrote on her Instagram post on Sunday night. She also pleaded with her fans to register and vote, and within minutes, the post had garnered over 360,000 likes.
"I 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. 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."
Through her social media post, Swift also extended her support to the Democrats in the key state of Tennessee, saying she "cannot support" Marsha Blackburn, the Republican candidate for the Senate who was endorsed by Donald Trump last week.
"As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn," wrote Swift. "Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” she added. The 'Teardrops On My Guitar' singer has, in the past, been heavily criticized for being one of the only pop stars who did not speak up against the POTUS.
"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," Swift wrote regarding Blackburn.
As for choosing a candidate to vote for, Swift endorsed two Democratic candidates: Phil Bredesen for the Senate, and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. "Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values," Swift implored.
"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." After Swift’s kind words, Bredesen’s campaign said: "It’s clear that Governor Bredesen’s message of working together to get things done is resonating with Democrats, independents, and Republicans throughout the state."