'Thank God for Taylor Swift': Voter registration in Tennessee booms after pop star's Democratic endorsements
- Taylor Swift broke her usual political silence to endorse two Democratic candidates in her home state of Tennessee on Instagram.
- Vote.org, an organization dedicated to increasing voter registration, said it saw 65,000 people register in the 24 hours after Swift's post alone.
- In Tennessee, 2,144 people registered in the 36 hours after Swift's post - more than double the number that registered in August, Vote.org said.
- Swift denounced Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn in her post, writing: "I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love."
An unprecedented number of people have registered to vote since Taylor Swift broke her usual political silence to endorse two Democratic candidates on Instagram, with 65,000 people registering in the first 24 hours after her post alone, according to voter registration organization Vote.org.
Vote.org said that just 56,669 people registered to vote in the entire month of August and 190,178 people in September, which was higher due to National Voter Registration Day on September 25.
In Tennessee, Swift's home state and the home of the candidates she endorsed, 2,144 people registered in the 36 hours after Swift's post - more than double the number that registered in August, Kamari Guthrie, communications director of Vote.org, told Buzzfeed News.
"Thank God for Taylor Swift," she said.
In an Instagram post on Sunday evening, Swift acknowledged her usual reluctance to publicly express political opinions.
But she said that she was now willing to speak after "several events in my life and in the world in the past two years."
Swift encouraged her 112 million followers to register, directing them to the Vote.org website: "October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting!"
In her post, Swift spoke out in favor of gender, racial, and LGBT equality and denounced the Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn, who is running for the Senate, writing: "I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love."
Blackburn is opposed to same-sex marriage and argued in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood.
Swift endorsed Phil Bredesen, the Democratic former Tennessee governor running against Blackburn for the Senate, along with Rep. Jim Cooper, the Democrat who represents Tennessee's 5th District, which includes Nashville, who is running for the House of Representatives.
"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," she wrote.
"I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent."
Taylor's post angered conservatives and the alt-right.
President Donald Trump said on Monday that he likes Taylor Swift's music "about 25% less" since Swift endorsed the Democrats.