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Has Taylor Swift’s endorsement damaged Harris’s campaign? New poll reveals all

The pop star endorsed Kamala Harris after the debate against Donald Trump

Andrea Cavallier
Tuesday 17 September 2024 06:40 BST
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Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris following debate

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Days after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president, a new poll has revealed how the pop star’s choice might influence voters’ decisions.

The new poll from YouGov found just eight percent of voters said Swift’s endorsement would see them “somewhat” or “much more likely” to vote for Harris, while 20 percent said they would be less likely to vote for her.

Immediately after the presidential debate between Harris and former president Donald Trump, the “Bad Blood” singer ended weeks of speculation and publicly endorsed Harris.

“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” she wrote on Instagram.

She signed off: “Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” – a direct reference to comments made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.

Swift also urged her 284 million Instagram followers to register to vote. The post drove 400,000 visitors to the vote.gov website in under 24 hours.

Kamala Harris (left) was endorsed by Taylor Swift (right)
Kamala Harris (left) was endorsed by Taylor Swift (right) (AFP via Getty Images)

While celebrities have been known to help sway voters. Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement added a million votes to Barack Obama’s tally, according to The Telegraph which cited a 2008 Northwestern University report.

However, endorsements by Hollywood actors George Clooney and Angelina Jolie did very little, according to a 2010 North Carolina State University report.

This time around, 66 percent of voters have said that an endorsement or approval by a celebrity would make no difference to how they vote in the upcoming election, the new YouGov poll found.

Harris won Tuesday night’s debate, 46 percent said, while 22 percent thought the debate would increase her chances of winning the election.

Meanwhile, just 19 percent of the respondents believed Trump won the debate.

Trump says ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT’ in all-caps Truth Social post
Trump says ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT’ in all-caps Truth Social post (Truth Social/Donald Trump)

On Sunday, days after Swift’s endorsement of Harris, Trump lashed out at the singer, writing: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” in all caps on his Truth Social platform.

Shortly after Trump’s rant, Harris’s team hit back with a detailed account of his “bad week.”

Referring to it as “Taylor’s version,” the campaign called him out using a barrage of Swift songs like the “Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”

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