WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly .
鈥淚 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,鈥� Swift wrote late Tuesday in , which included a link to a voter registration website.
Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.
She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message 鈥淐hildless Cat Lady.鈥� The remark is a reference to three-year-old , Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.
A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris鈥� running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.
鈥淭hat was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that鈥檚 the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.鈥�
Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said 鈥淭aylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.鈥�
Trump's posts 鈥渂rought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,鈥� Swift wrote. She added that "I鈥檝e done my research, and I鈥檝e made my choice."
Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move 鈥渨as just a question of time.鈥� He told 鈥淔ox & Friends鈥� that Swift is 鈥渁 very liberal person鈥� who 鈥渟eems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.鈥�
In 2020, she , and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked 鈥渢he fires of white supremacy and racism.鈥�
Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.
AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That鈥檚 the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.
VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.
Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday鈥檚 MTV Video Music Awards. While it鈥檚 unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.
The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday鈥檚 debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.
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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Philadelphia, Linley Sanders in Washington and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
