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For Harris, the endorsement comes at a critical time, as Democratic voter registration, particularly in battleground states, is in sharp decline. Enten emphasized the potential value Swift’s endorsement could bring, stating, “Kamala Harris will absolutely welcome in the support of Taylor Swift if she can move young voters at all because the bottom line is: Kamala Harris is in fact not doing as well among young voters as you might expect a Democrat to necessarily be doing based upon history.”
Enten’s analysis points to troubling data in states like North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Democratic voter registrations have significantly dropped in comparison to 2020. For example, in Pennsylvania, around 560,000 people registered as Democrats in September 2020, but as of this year, that number has dropped to 169,000. Similarly, in North Carolina, 415,000 people registered as Democrats in 2020, but the number has dwindled to 128,000.
“The bottom line is Republicans have been doing a significantly better job of registering voters than Democrats have been doing over the last four years and getting folks to switch over from Democratic registration to Republican registration,” Enten said, painting a grim picture for the Harris campaign’s prospects.
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Taylor Swift, aware of her influence, urged her followers to register to vote and get informed about the candidates. “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make,” she said in her Instagram post, encouraging her fans to take action. As Swift has a substantial following among young voters, many of whom might be first-time voters or politically disengaged, Harris hopes that Swift’s endorsement will energize this critical demographic.
The pop star expressed admiration for Harris’s leadership and emphasized her belief that Harris is a “steady-handed, gifted leader.” Swift also highlighted Harris’s decision to pick Tim Walz as her running mate, pointing to his progressive positions on LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, and support for IVF as key reasons for her endorsement.
The endorsement comes as Democrats face an uphill battle in mobilizing their base. In contrast to the sharp decline in Democratic voter registration, Republican efforts to expand their base have been remarkably successful. Enten remarked, “Republicans have been doing a heck of a lot better job of registering voters than Democrats have over the last four years.” This shift could spell trouble for Harris’s campaign as she attempts to energize her base ahead of the 2024 election.
While the Harris campaign welcomes Swift’s support, the question remains whether the pop star’s endorsement will have enough of an impact to reverse the underperformance among younger voters. For now, Harris is betting on the power of celebrity and the enthusiasm of Swift’s fanbase to help reignite youth engagement in what could be a decisive election cycle.
With Swift’s backing, Harris hopes to inject much-needed energy into her campaign, especially among younger, Democratic-leaning voters. Whether this will be enough to reverse the current voter registration trends and secure the youth vote remains to be seen.
