The alt-right is afraid of Taylor Swift. They should be.

Frankie Colao-Pineyro

She/Her

Columnist

2/4/24

Taylor Swift has recently found herself in some bad blood with conservatives all over the nation. Many Trump-supporting conservatives have begun to speculate conspiracies regarding Swift and the upcoming election. The doom spiral over the famed pop star started with the Kansas City Chiefs’ win on Sunday, Jan 28 against the Baltimore Ravens, meaning they will be playing at Super Bowl LVIII, the team’s fourth in the past five years. 

As a result, conservatives have convinced themselves that the 2024 Super Bowl has been rigged to ensure a victory for the Chiefs, granting Swift and her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, an opportunity to endorse Joe Biden, and infiltrate the minds of American voters so that they will have no choice but to vote blue.  

Many conservative ideologues appear scared of Swift and her influence. While former president Donald Trump has stated he isn’t concerned with Swift’s endorsement because he is “more popular” than she is, sources within his team have said he has pledged a “holy war” against the singer-songwriter. 

In the 2020 election, Swift endorsed the current president by posting a picture of a plate of cookies she had made with “Biden 2020” written on them in icing. So, Swift’s political affiliation is nothing new, which begs the question, why are conservatives so up in arms about her now? 

While Swift has been famous for quite some time, it’s no secret she’s risen to mega-stardom over the last year or so, with the Eras tour and the success of her re-recordings. It’s also no secret that she holds the fascination of America’s youth, a demographic conservatives have been struggling to win over.

There is a lot of evidence proving that young voters have the potential to change the tides for Democrats. In the 2022 midterms, Millennials and older Gen Z voted overwhelmingly blue, allowing Democrats to recapture Senate control. Studies conducted by Harvard show that, since 2020, the number of young Americans between 18 and 29 who “definitely” plan to vote for president has decreased from 57% to 49%, however, the decline mostly comes from young Republican and independent voters. 

In September of 2023, Swift posted a short message on Instagram Stories, encouraging her 272 million followers to vote. According to Vote.org, more than 35,000 registrations were recorded following Swift’s post. 

It’s also likely that Swifties are becoming a key demographic in future elections, due to their age and location. Most fans are Gen Z or Millennials, both of whom make up an increasing share of the electorate with each passing year, up to 31% in 2020. Around 55% of Swifties also live in the suburbs, which make up important swing districts.

The theories only go to show what conservative’s biggest fear is – a woman in power. Swift has proven herself, not only to be a talented musician but an incredibly successful businesswoman (a mastermind if you will), leaving Republicans shaking in their boots over who she is going to endorse.