Taylor Swift may have some sway with her 107 million followers on Instagram, but when it comes to her power to sway politics, yeah, not so much.
The 28-year-old singer jumped into the political fray last week when she declared that she opposes Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
“Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. These are not MY Tennessee values,” Swift wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Apparently, Swift has based her view mostly on LGBT rights. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG.”
Turns out no one cares about what she thinks.
A new poll finds that pop star Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Phil Bredesen in Tennessee’s Senate race has done little to move the dial in the Democrat’s direction.
A poll by Republican polling firm Cygnal finds that 86% of those surveyed have not changed their minds despite Swift’s endorsement of Democrat Phil Bredesen. And yes, they know about what Swift said: 82% said they’d heard the reports about her endorsement.
“Millennial and Gen Z voters are highly aware of the endorsement of the Democrat, but it did little to move their vote preference,” said Matt Hubbard, VP of Research & Analytics at Cygnal. “Swift’s endorsement is providing a boost to get-out-the-vote efforts, but we’re seeing minimal impact on the race.”
One interesting finding in the poll: 5% said Swift swayed them to vote for the Democrat while 6% said she pushed them to switch to the Republican.
“Anytime a celebrity endorses a candidate or speaks publicly about their political views, there’s always a risk of alienating fans on the other side of the aisle,” said Brent Buchanan, Cygnal’s President and Founder. “In this case, Swift’s endorsement may lead to ‘Bad Blood’ with her conservative fans.”
After Swift’s endorsement, Blackburn said it wouldn’t amount to much.
“Tennesseans are more interested in the fact that Marsha Blackburn is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, by the Fraternal Order of Police, by the Police Benevolent Association and by the National Rifle Association, where I have an ‘A’ rating and their endorsement,” Blackburn said.
Swift also took some heat for endorsing Bredesen for the Senate seat because he angered Democrats and rabid liberals by announcing that he would have supported Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination for the Supreme Court, declaring that there was no evidence to support last-minute sexual assault allegations against him.
The hardcore left MoveOn immediately pulled its support after Bredesen’s announcement. “We’re cancelling a planned six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Phil Bredesen in Tennessee due to his Kavanaugh position. And similarly will be pulling all planned campaigning on behalf of Joe Manchin in West Virginia if he votes yes. Kavanaugh is unfit for the Court,” MoveOn.org wrote on Twitter.