Pop megastar Taylor Swift has ended her conspicuous silence on the state of politics in the United States, telling her millions of fans that she will be voting for Democratic candidates at the upcoming midterm elections.
Taking to Instagram, the 28-year-old posted a lengthy comment explaining her choice to remain mum amid the past few years of political turmoil in her home country, and her current vow to back Tennessee’s Phil Bredesen in the Senate and Jim Cooper in the House of Representatives.
“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.
Voicing her concern over the erosion of LGBTIQ rights and endemic racism, Swift said she’d vote against incumbent Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn.
“These are not MY Tennessee values,” Swift said.
The musician has faced fan scrutiny in recent years for not using her considerable platform to speak on political issues impacting her fanbase, while contemporaries like Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga have been vocal proponents – and opponents – of various political contenders.
Swift’s statement that many “may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue” seems particularly pertinent considering her support of Bredesen.
The Democrat was recently criticised for supporting the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, despite a compelling allegation of sexual assault levelled against him.
Discussing the testimony of Dr Christine Blasey Ford, who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh attempted to rape her while they were both still in high school, Bredesen told a Nashville TV show “I just sort of felt like it didn’t rise to the level of you would disqualify somebody from the Supreme Court based on that stuff.”
Swift’s post marks an interesting development in a career which has appeared as well-manicured and apolitical as possible in the current political climate. Just don’t expect her to chuck on a sing-song at the next Bernie Sanders speaking event.
