LifeStyle

Taylor Swift Breaks Her Political Silence and Endorses Democrats in Tennessee

Taylor Swift has broken her silence and endorsed the Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections in her home state of Tennessee. In an Instagram post on Sunday evening, Swift implored her followers to vote for the candidates that represent their values and declared she was voting for Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper.

This is a long time coming for the notoriously apolitical musical superstar. Swift was criticized by fellow celebrities, musicians, and disappointed fans during the 2016 Presidential Election for staying silent despite her feminist persona. She neither publicly condemned Donald Trump, nor endorsed another candidate. In the aftermath of the election, Trump has fulfilled his worst campaign promises—while failing to deliver on any of his substantial policy goals—and hurt immigrants, the working poor, women, children, and the LGBTQ community. Now that Trump and the Republican Party have elevated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, despite credible allegations of sexual assault and strong indications he will overturn Roe v. Wade, Taylor Swift has spoken:

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. 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.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. 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. 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. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. 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. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. 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. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on

Swift focused on the upcoming midterm elections in November and pledged to vote for Phil Bredesen for the Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives. Bredesen is running against Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, who has spent her time in Congress fighting against abortion, same-sex marriage, and equal pay.

In case you live in Tennessee, today is the last day to register. No matter where you live, vote! Get ready forVoting Day on Tuesday, November 6.