Harris takes aim at Swifties as the Eras tour returns tonight

Topline

Vice President Kamala Harris has sought to capitalize on her endorsement from billionaire pop star Taylor Swift as the Eras Tour returns to its final U.S. stops just weeks before the election, with new Snapchat filters and billboards targeting the Encourage pop stars – a critical demographic – to end the vote and enter their “Kamala Era.”

Important facts

What you should pay attention to

Whether Swift will even campaign for Harris before the election. She has not commented on the election since her highly anticipated endorsement of Harris in September, but will be on stage the final three weekends before the election as her Eras Tour wraps up its U.S. leg. After three stops in Miami this weekend, Swift will spend the next two weekends performing three shows each in New Orleans and Indianapolis before heading to Canada in November.

Important background

Swift supported Harris in an Instagram post minutes after the Sept. 10 presidential debate. Swift called Harris a “steadfast, gifted leader” and praised her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights and IVF.” and a woman's right to her own body.” She said her support was influenced in part by AI-generated images Trump posted on Truth Social that falsely implied she had supported him. An endorsement from Swift, a billionaire listed by Forbes as the world's fifth most powerful woman in 2023, was highly sought after, and President Joe Biden reportedly sought her support before dropping out of the race in July. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that Swift doesn't support him. In February, Trump said Swift's support of then-candidate Biden would be “disloyal” since Trump passed the Music Modernization Act in 2020, which updated copyright laws for streaming. After Swift endorsed Harris, Trump said on “Fox & Friends” that he preferred Brittany Mahomes, Swift's girlfriend and wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, much more than Swift after Mahomes speculated she was a Trump Supporter for allegedly liking and then disliking supportive posts about Trump on Instagram. Days later, Trump posted on Truth Social: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Swift backed Biden back in 2020, one of her first political endorsements after she began endorsing candidates in 2018 when she supported Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen's unsuccessful Senate bid against Senator Marsha Blackburn.

Big number

406,000. About that many users visited vote.gov, a voter registration website, through a link Swift posted to her Instagram Story on Sept. 10, the day she endorsed Harris.

Forbes rating

Forbes estimates Swift is worth $1.6 billion. This makes her one of the richest celebrities in the world and the first person to become a billionaire based solely on her music catalog and performances. Last year she joined the ranks of billionaires after her Eras Tour, the highest-grossing tour of all time, boosted her fortune.

Further reading

Taylor Swift Supports Kamala Harris: Billionaire Pop Star's Political Past Explained (Forbes)

Donald Trump says he likes Brittany Mahomes 'much better' than Taylor Swift – after Swift endorses Harris (Forbes)

Vote.Gov had almost 406,000 visitors after Taylor Swift's endorsement (Forbes)