Why Republicans' War Against Taylor Swift Could Backfire

Republicans' criticism of Taylor Swift could massively backfire, as detractors take aim at her efforts to encourage fans to register to vote.

On September 19, National Voter Registration Day, the singer took to Instagram to share a message urging her fans to register on the nonpartisan, nonprofit Vote.org. According to the organization, Swift's post was followed by a surge of more than 35,000 registrations—an almost 25 percent increase over the same day last year.

"I've been so lucky to see so many of you guys at my U.S. shows recently," Swift, 33, wrote to her more than 273 million followers via Instagram Stories. "I've heard you raise your voices, and I know how powerful they are. Make sure you're ready to use them in our elections this year!"

Her post included a link to register at Vote.org.

Per NPR, Andrea Hailey, the CEO of Vote.org, said in a statement that the single-day surge in registrations was a "highly encouraging sign of voter enthusiasm," particularly as there was a 115 percent spike over 2022 in newly eligible 18 year olds registering to vote.

"Time and time again young people are showing up and demonstrating they care about their rights and access to the ballot box," Hailey added.

However, the news has been followed by criticism of Swift from a number of Republican voters—likely stemming from the musician's own outspoken stance against politicians in their party, most notably former president and 2024 candidate Donald Trump.

"Taylor Swift is dumb and her music sucks," wrote Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of conservative web magazine The Federalist on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. The post was accompanied by a link to an article on The Federalist's website that described Swift's popularity as "a sign of societal decline."

The article, which was published on September 5—two weeks before Swift's voter drive—in part took aim at the "over-the-top celebration of Swift's success." In addition to Swift having "conquered the unwashed masses," the article stated, "America's elite tastemakers have also become unrepentant Swifties."

Writer Mark Hemingway argued in another part of the article that Swift's success is in spite of "essentially writing the same songs over and over again"—songs that he says largely lack any perceived lyrical depth.

While Davis' post aimed at Swift caught the attention of X users who agreed, it also attracted a flood of disparaging comments from Swifties, the fervent and sizable fanbase whose social media presence is likely only challenged by Beyoncé's Beyhive.

The Rising Power of Generation Z

Reacting to the criticism, writer and activist Victor Shi, who was the youngest elected Illinois delegate for President Joe Biden in 2020, shared a thread in which he discussed why dismissing the power of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) could prove to be detrimental for Republicans as they vie to reclaim the White House in 2024.

"Nothing says more about how little Republicans understand Gen Z than them now saying Taylor Swift is 'dumb & her music sucks' after she registered more than 35,000 people to vote last week," Shi wrote. "If you attack Taylor Swift, you also attack Gen Z. Good luck, Republicans. You're screwed."

Sharing a screenshot of Davis' post, Shi added that Swift "is one of the most popular celebrities for young people & to attack her like this just because she got thousands of people registered to vote should tell you everything you need to know about how they don't understand young people. AT ALL. Embarrassing…"

Concluding his thread, Shi stated that the "Swifities out there are a force & they will not tolerate this type of slander of one of the best singers by Republicans. Republicans are only doing this because they are threatened by the power of Taylor Swift—but like everything else, it won't work. Best of luck guys!"

Political commentator Tomi Lahren recently weighed in with less-than-flattering thoughts on Swift, while also acknowledging the star's boon to local economies through her Eras Tour. It is on track to become the highest-grossing live music tour of all time and its value to local economies is expected to be around $5 billion, according to a survey by QuestionPro.

"Her lefty, liberal braindead political opinions aside, I am a fan of Taylor Swift and I have been since way before she went full liberal," Lahren recently said on her podcast. "She's also single-handedly done more for the U.S. economy than any Democrat president, maybe ever."

Newsweek has contacted a representative of Swift via email for comment.

A Force to be Reckoned With

While criticism of figures in pop culture is nothing new among conservatives, the current war against Swift could well backfire. Far from being an also-ran who can be ridiculed into oblivion, Swift has proven time and again that the might of her influence is a force to be reckoned with. Mere footage of her cheering on Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and rumored boyfriend) Travis Kelce at a game on Sunday led to a 400 percent spike in sales of the sportsman's jersey. He also gained millions of social media followers in just days.

But beyond the Instagram likes and TikTok views, Swift presents a reach coveted by both sides of the political aisle: the young vote. A study unveiled last year by Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement found that the turnout of voters aged 18-29 in the 2020 midterm elections was the second highest it has been in almost three decades. Among this group of voters, it was found that they preferred Democrats over Republicans by a 28-point margin.

With President Joe Biden being the oldest sitting president at 80 and his likely 2024 Republican challenger Trump, being 77, neither major party has a lock on young voters through relatability. However, many of the issues that these voters care about—be it abortion, gun violence, LGBTQ+ rights or climate change—see Democrats take the edge as Republicans champion viewpoints that stand at odds with those of many younger voices.

As such, could Republicans' scathing takedowns of Swift repel the millions of voters who have become eligible since Trump's last attempt at election glory? Jeffrey R. Dudas, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, told Newsweek that it's not so cut and dried.

Dudas said that because the "breadth of [Swift's] reach is so impressive," there's every chance that there will be "some sort of backlash or backfiring against efforts" to preemptively dismiss the star as somebody not worthy of being listened to.

Shared Values

However, UConnPopCast co-host Dudas believes that rather than go against Republicans at the polls as some form of retribution, Swift fans will likely vote for Democrats because the party's values reflect their own.

"Most of the passionate Swifties with whom I am familiar tend to share an outlook on the world that is broadly consistent with the one that Taylor Swift puts out," he explained. "She has a very particular view on the world, be it through formal politics, including voting and legislation, but also the informal politics of everyday life, like things surrounding gender relations and sexuality…Most of her fans understand and connect with and find resonance with [these issues]."

In light of this, Dudas said that he has a "hard time imagining the blank slate Swifty, who…wasn't going to vote and they didn't know anything or care anything about politics, but now they will and they'll do [whatever Swift says]. I don't think the relationship is quite that. I don't think it's quite that linear."

That said, the right's rants and dismissals of younger outspoken voices represent, Dudas said, the "old man on the lawn [saying], 'You don't know anything! You can't be trusted to exert your power of self governance in a way that is that is appropriate or responsible!'"

The Bigger Picture

Dudas also told Newsweek that Swift is a target more for what she represents than who she is.

"It's not new for [conservatives] to seek to put barriers in place to make it more difficult for this generation to vote in the first place," Dudas said. "And in some ways, it makes sense, because by and large, young people tend to vote for Democrats rather than for Republicans. That has been the case for multiple generations—and it's certainly the case now.

"So in part, these kinds of preemptive efforts are not really even about Taylor Swift. They're about anxiety over the mobilization of a voting bloc that there's fear will not be voting for Republicans. So the question of whether [the right's criticisms of Swift] will backfire or not I think is open. My sense is that Swifties are going to be much more interested in registering to vote because it's been endorsed by Taylor specifically, rather than because she has been attacked."

Of course, Swift's previous political track record hasn't been infallible. Back in 2018, following criticism over her public silence, Swift spoke out against Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). At the time, Blackburn was running against former Democratic Governor Phil Bredesden for an open Senate seat.

"In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now," Swift, who moved to Nashville to pursue her music career wrote on Instagram.

"Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn," her post went on. "As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me.

"She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values."

Despite Swift's efforts, Blackburn emerged the victor in the 2018 midterm elections, becoming the first female senator to represent the state of Tennessee.

Undeterred, Swift has continued to weigh in on politics. Several months before the 2020 election, Swift accused then-President Trump of "stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism" throughout his term in office.

"We will vote you out in November," she added in her post.

Swift and Blackburn have clashed since the 2018 election. In her 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift called Blackburn "Trump in a wig," while the senator appeared to reference Swift's song "All Too Well" in a 2021 X post praising conservative country singer Aaron Lewis' new song criticizing Democrats.

For years, Swift was known—and often criticized—for being tight-lipped about political issues.

"Part of the fabric of being a country artist is don't force your politics on people," Swift explained in Miss Americana. "Let people live their lives. That is grilled into us."

In 2018, however, she used her platform to promote Democratic nominees in Tennessee ahead of the midterm elections. Upon hearing the news of Swift's support for Democrats, Trump told reporters at the time: "Let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25 percent less now, OK?"

Over the years, Swift has become more politically outspoken, despite any potential backlash she may face.

"If I get bad press for saying, 'Don't put a homophobic racist in office,' then I get bad press for that," she said in Miss Americana.