Are Republicans Afraid of Taylor Swift Encouraging Fans to Vote?

Taylor Swift is a force of nature in the music industry. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom believes the “Lover” singer could have a major impact on American politics as well, including during the upcoming 2024 presidential 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,” the California governor told TMZ.

The governor also thinks the GOP backlash toward Swift’s push to get young people to vote is due to fears the pop superstar may interfere with “voter suppression” tactics in the party.

“I think she’s using her celebrity [status] for good. Republicans are critical of her encouraging people to register to vote, which says everything you need to know about the voter suppression going on in the Republican party,” Newsom explained.

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On Sept. 19, Swift shared a message on her Instagram Story encouraging her fans to register to vote.

“Are you registered to vote yet? I’ve been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently. I’ve heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you’re ready to use them in our elections this year!” Swift wrote in her Instagram Story, according to USA Today.

The singer’s Story included a link to Vote.org, a non-profit voter registration platform she has partnered with in the past.

The following day, Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey revealed that Swift’s call to action helped result in 35,000 new voter registrations within 24 hours.

“During the day on Tuesday we saw a 1,226 [percent] jump in participation the hour after Taylor Swift posted. Our site was averaging 13,000 users every 30 minutes — a number that Taylor Swift would be proud of,” Hailey said in a press release, according to ABC News.