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DNC enters its ‘Kamala Era’ with new Taylor Swift-themed ads

New ad campaign comes days after Swift publicly endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket

Inga Parkel
New York
Friday 13 September 2024 16:26 BST
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Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris following debate

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The Democratic National Committee has swiftly capitalized on Taylor Swift’s public endorsement of the Harris-Walz ticket with the launch of its new advertisements.

On Friday (September 13), just days after the megastar, 34, announced she would be voting for Harris in the 2024 presidential election, the DNC displayed its new slogan – “A New Way Forward…. Ready for It?” and “We’re In Our Kamala Era” – across digital billboards in New York’s Times Square and the Las Vegas strip.

The first part of the motto is a reference to the lead track off Swift’s 2017 Reputation album, while the second portion is a play on Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour.

In addition to the Swift-themed billboards, the Kamala Harris campaign recently launched its own friendship bracelets, which include clay beads that spell out the candidates’ last names.

The black and blue jewelry is back in stock and available to pre-order with an expected release date of September 24.

Swift’s surprise endorsement of the Democratic nominee on Instagram came minutes after Harris and Donald Trump wrapped their fiery first presidential debate on September 10.

“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” the Grammy-winning artist wrote on Instagram. “I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”

Since Swift shared her public support of Harris on Instagram, the vote.gov website has seen a considerable spike in visitors.

In a statement to Variety, the General Services Administration, which runs the vote.gov site, said they received 405,999 visitors referred directly from the custom link the singer shared on her Instagram Stories shortly after she posted her endorsement.

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Kamala Harris campaign launched Taylor Swift-themed advertisements
Kamala Harris campaign launched Taylor Swift-themed advertisements (AFP via Getty Images)

While it is unknown how many of those visitors subsequently registered to vote, the General Services Administration estimated that there were more than 27,000 new registrations on September 11.

Swift’s powerful message has not been lost on her fellow celebrities, including This Is Us’s Mandy Moore, Oprah, Charli XCX and Jennifer Aniston, all of whom backed her declaration.

Earlier this week, the “Cruel Summer” singer doubled down on her calls for her fans to register to vote during her Video of the Year acceptance speech at the MTV VMAs.

After thanking fans for voting for her, she added: “If you’re over 18 please register to vote for something else that is important – the Presidential election.”

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