Taylor Swift's endorsement of Democrats prompts massive spike in voter registration
Taylor Swift sent the dregs of 4chan into an existential tizzy yesterday by revealing herself to not be a closet white nationalist. In an Instagram post, the traditionally apolitical pop star came out in support of democrats Phil Breseden and Jim Cooper, both of whom are running in Tennessee’s US Senate race. If you’re someone who wonders why we care what celebrities think about politics, well, here’s your answer: Buzzfeed News reports that new voter registrations are booming, not just in Tennessee, but nationwide.
According to Vote.org’s Kamari Guthrie, the site logged 65,000 registrations in the 24 hours following Swift’s post. “For context,” Buzzfeed added, “190,178 new voters were registered nationwide in the entire month of September, while 56,669 were registered in August.” As for Tennessee, the site received nearly as many registrations in the hours following Swift’s post as it did in the entire month of September.
Swift’s post also condemned Republican candidate Marsha Blackburn, saying “her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.”
She continued, “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.”
Our celebrity-obsessed president, Donald Trump, shared his own thoughts on Swift’s endorsement yesterday. “I’m sure Taylor Swift doesn’t know anything about [Blackburn],” he said, adding, “Let’s say that I like Taylor’s music about 25 percent less now.”