Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence, Supports Democrats

Taylor Swift has broken her long-held political silence. In a post made to Instagram, Swift declared her support for Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen and Democratic Congressman Jim Cooper ahead of the midterm elections in her home 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,” she said. Swift cited her support of LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality, and her opposition to racial discrimination as reasons behind her decision to vote for Bresdesen and Cooper. “I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.” Read her full statement below.

Swift then went on to explain why she will not be supporting Tennessee’s Republican Representative 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 also highlighted Blackburn’s homophobic values, including her belief that businesses “have a right to refuse service to gay couples.” “These are not MY Tennessee values,” Swift concluded.

Over the years, Swift has garnered criticism for not discussing politics, especially for her silence on Donald Trump’s presidency. Read “On Loving Taylor Swift While Being Brown” on the Pitch.