The Politics of Pop Music: How Swifties for Kamala Is Captivating the Nation
So, here’s the breakdown–I met the masterminds behind Swifties for Kamala.
This summer made way for Charli XCX’s lime green dance album takeover with the release of “Brat,” viral “Hot-To-Go” dance moves that gave way to Chappell Roan’s meteoric rise, Beyoncé honoring her country roots, and Taylor Swift taking her “Eras Tour” abroad. Up until nearly a week ago, these pop stars and their respective hits found homes on the dance floor, in stadiums, or on long summer drives. Now, they are all undeniably at the center of Kamala Harris’ bid for the American presidency.
In a historical moment in which any American will always remember where they were, 81-year-old President Joe Biden announced that he would step down from running for reelection. After a lengthy and storied career in public service, the President was facing criticism over his aging cognitive function, particularly following his appearance at the CNN presidential debate opposite Republican candidate former President Donald Trump.
In the eyes of democrats, and any marginalized people in America, Biden’s successor needs to be someone strong, driven, and on a mission to move the nation towards greater freedom for all. That woman is likely to become Kamala Harris, who is currently serving as the Vice President. In the hours following Biden’s announcement, Kamala HQ emerged on TikTok, sharing edits of the now presidential candidate to tunes from Charli XCX’s “Brat,” Chappell Roan’s “Feminomenon,” and finally, an official campaign ad to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” The Harris campaign has already raised $200 million.
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The focus on female made pop music in this campaign thus far is clearly rooted in the thrilling proposition that Harris could become the nation’s first female president. Charli XCX added fuel to the fire by asserting on Twitter that “Kamala IS brat,” referring to her hit album that continues to inspire women to feel comfortable taking up space. Charli’s support from across the pond is likely born from their shared maternal Indian heritage.
That same week, someone else sent out a tweet that would change lives, and mark the first pop star fandom to get together for this common cause. Emerald Medrano, a 22 year old from Texas, has been a Swiftie for his whole life. After joining the online Swiftie fandom post-Reputation era in 2017, he has amassed over 70,000 followers on Twitter, and took this as an opportunity to get organized for Harris’ cause. It was his compassion for those impacted by recent Supreme Court decisions coupled with his love of friendship with other Swifties that got the ball rolling.
A Latine transgender man living in the south, Medrano knew that this election could determine the safety and wellbeing of both himself and thousands that share his identity. Who better to unionize for a common goal than the Swifties? After all, Swift did mobilize Gen Z to take action with her song “Only the Young” in which she entreats them to take charge for change, since no one else is willing to do it, “we gotta do it ourselves.”
As of now, Swifties for Kamala has amassed more than 238,000 followers across TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and Substack. Each social media account includes a Linktree in the bio that directs users to register to vote, donate directly to the Harris campaign via ActBlue, invest in some fun Swiftie politics merch, or learn more about their mission statement. Swifties for Kamala hopes to reach growing audiences of various age brackets, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and sexualities. The organization prioritizes inclusivity and community building that could last even beyond the upcoming presidential election. They additionally include information for how DACA recipients can get involved.
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The mission statement includes a detailed breakdown of the impacts of Project 2025, a legislative plan that Republican lawmakers intend to pursue should Trump win reelection to the presidency. Project 2025 seeks to limit the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people on various fronts, from healthcare to education. Some lawmakers have additionally expressed intent to enforce Christian nationalism. This all came after the Trump administration stacked the Supreme Court with conservative justices, resulting in the overturns of Roe v. Wade, Affirmative Action, and the Chevron Deference. It was the extreme tone of this document that served as Medrano’s call to action.
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“When it comes to connecting Taylor Swift and politics, it all comes back to the friendship bracelets. I thought that as Swifties we can make interesting initiatives to raise awareness, just like we did with the friendship bracelets that have started becoming a staple at concerts. In general, I thought we could bring our fondness for Taylor and our girlhood that she has taught us to be proud of and to appreciate, into politics,” said Medrano.
“She’s just so fiercely herself, and she inspired me to be fiercely myself.”
The acclaimed Grammy winning Taylor Swift has dominated the public sphere more than ever in the past year. This visibility comes from her ambitious “The Eras Tour” and re-records of “Speak Now” and “1989,” plus her latest album “The Tortured Poets Department.” The tour compiles all 11 of Swift’s studio albums, complete with elaborate set and costume changes to match each respective era. The show has inspired thousands of fans to get creative with their costumes and enjoy some of her deeper cuts that she often brings out for the acoustic surprise song portion of the show.
More importantly, however, Swift’s concert has encouraged a celebration of womanhood and girlhood alike, and inspired countless fans to stand up to toxic men, much like she has in her personal and professional life (including when Scooter Braun usurped ownership over her first six original masters without her consent). It is Swift’s innate ability to stand up for the underdog and stake her claim in the industry that inspired her fans to do the same in politics. It felt especially right after her years of encouraging young people to register to vote and her previous endorsement of the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.
“Since her ‘Miss Americana’ documentary, she has shown that she had such passion to do the best for the people around her. And I think that's the same passion that's been instilled in me, in my veins, since 2006. I grew up with Taylor, I know who she is and what she's shown me in her career and in her music,” said Medrano.
“So many of us know that this is just the right thing to do. We need to get together and make the right decision in the election because it is crucial and so many people's rights are on the line. This is just the perfect moment for this.”
The Masterminds Behind Swifties For Kamala
Knowing all that was at stake, Medrano worked quickly to collaborate with his peers in organizing Swifties for Kamala. The organization uses punny Swift lyrics made applicable to the Harris campaign across their respective social media accounts. Medrano confirmed that the organization has been in touch with Kamala HQ. Hundreds continue to reach out to the group via Discord to participate. Medrano credits his friend and collaborator Irene Kim for organizing press appearances and helping to create focused committees across the organization.
Given Medrano’s own background, he hopes for those following along with Swifties for Kamala to understand that Swift has amassed an incredibly diverse group of fans over the 15 years of her career, and that their drive catalyzed Swifties for Kamala. A common misconception is that Swift’s fandom is only composed of white women, and Medrano wants the public to understand that her music maintains a much more diverse fan base than meets the eye. Swifties for Kamala currently boasts members from a wide range of demographics.
“I feel like we're all bringing our personal passions to the table at Swifties for Kamala, and that's what makes it so great. Like there's so many different places we're reaching, because we're all diverse, and what makes us a community is our Swiftieism,” said Medrano.
Many Swifties have faced the direct consequences of abortion and drag bans. Since their favorite singer encouraged them to register to vote and has frequently supported the LGBTQ+ community, Medrano says the group felt encouraged to follow in her footsteps, and push for support for the fans located in key battleground states in the upcoming election.
“I'm from Texas. So I'm, of course, very biased to this great state that has waffles shaped like it and is just my home. If Texas went blue, and I had a little part in that, I would be over the moon. That's one of my personal goals.” Medrano said.
While these times are unprecedented, we are living in the context of all that came before (because of course, we did not just fall out of a coconut tree). Music and politics in America have long been inextricably linked. Most famously, the folk music of the 1960s and the rock music of the 1970s were very politically charged. Bob Dylan protested segregation and racism through his music, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marvin Gaye, and more protested the military draft imposed on young men during the Vietnam War.
Bruce Springsteen later wrote about the struggles and PTSD that Vietnam veterans faced with little support back home on “Born in the USA.” Now, in an era in which women and LGBTQ+ people have been forced to take steps back from their hard earned freedoms, female pop artists are on the front lines of the great war. Medrano feels proud to potentially play a small part in this moment in music and political history.
“It's great to be part of it. People use music and the passion behind it within the heartbeat of songs to push forward with politics. I love that Swifties and Taylor’s music gets to be a part of that. We get to play “The Man” and believe in the message behind it. If she [Kamala] was a man, you know she would be your [conservatives’] number one choice as president.” said Medrano.
“I love that we're able to make these complex arguments stemming from a song that could be about something totally different, but are suddenly applicable in new ways. I just love how it’s being used to fuel change.”
…Are You Ready For It?
While Medrano initially had the drive to gather Swifties for a common cause, the social media team behind Swifties for Kamala are the ones largely responsible for spreading their message via eye-catching videos and graphics for social media.
“Much of Swift’s work has themes of owning your voice, standing up for your beliefs, and being true to yourself even when it’s difficult. Within the past few years, we’ve seen the beginnings of a cultural shift that is telling the world that there is so much unharnessed power in the pop culture interests of women and girls. Of course not ALL of Taylor’s fans are women, but this is a demographic that hasn’t been historically taken very seriously, especially in politics,” said Madeline Miner of Swifties for Kamala’s social media team.
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“Now that our passions are being catered to, we’re seeing numerous people step up for the first time; we can’t even count the number of $13 donations that have been made! And with such an expansive catalog, we’ve been able to find fun lyric references for almost every situation.”
Among the organization's goals are increasing voter registration and educating voters of all ages on the important policies on the line in this coming election. Becca Young, also a member of Swifties for Kamala’s social media team, expressed hope to convince people to head to the polls in the first place.
“I think another important part of TikTok we want to reach is Swifties (and even non-Swifties) who don’t think that their vote matters or don’t see the importance in voting. We’ve seen races decided by a single digit number of votes, so no matter what folks say, every single vote matters,” said Young.
“Some people are going to participate by being on the front lines making calls and videos, and some folks are going to participate just by voting. Obviously we’re going to work our tails off to get folks to volunteer and reach out to their networks, but if we can get some first time voters to the polls I think that’s a success.”
Swifties For Kamala Director and graphics team member Ali Myers explained the use of Swift’s “Karma” and a cat in the group’s logo design. Famously, Swift herself is a cat owner, and is cat-mom to Olivia Benson, Benjamin Button, and Meredith Grey, Scottish fold and ragdoll cats. What makes the usage of cat imagery extra poignant lately is a recent press appearance from Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance.
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Vance, who has now served as junior Senator of Ohio since 2023, once made a jab at single women working in politics in 2021 that recently resurfaced. In the clip, Vance states that America’s biggest issue is that it’s being run “by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too.” Included in the women he name dropped to support this claim was Vice President Harris (who is married to Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, and step mother to his two children, no cats in the picture).
Myers explained how “Karma” and cats became the center of the logo. “Every night, we all get together on Twitter to follow along on low quality live streams to see the surprise song or outfits of the night for the ‘Eras Tour’. The show ends with ‘Karma,’ a song that represents a joyful end to the show. When I was considering lyrics, ‘Karma’ was one of the songs I was most eager to implement, and changing the word karma to Kamala was an obvious choice.”
“Framing Vice President Harris as our next president as ‘a relaxing thought’ in Swift’s words was an easy decision to make, since that’s the antithesis to the thought of Donald Trump being back in the White House,” said Myers.
“The song compares the concept of karma to a cat purring in one’s lap, and myself and many other swifties are huge cat people, so having a sleeping, relaxed cat seemed like a fitting mascot.”
Amid the other songs that are unwittingly soundtracking Harris’ campaign via Swifties for Kamala are “mad woman”, “Only The Young,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.”
“It’s been really fun to see how many of Taylor’s songs are quite relevant to our mission. I think it goes to show how her music always connects back to inner strength, community, and ambition,” said Leigh Bauer, also on the team’s highly efficient social media team.
You’re [Not] On Your Own, Kid
While such drastic policy changes in the past few years continue to disproportionately affect marginalized groups, Medrano finds hope in Swifties for Kamala, as it helped him feel less alone in his anxieties about the future. Through a shared love of a favorite song, a “Red” themed 22nd birthday party, or a friendship bracelet exchange, Medrano feels grateful that the “The Eras Tour” has turned into a celebration of connection. There is strength in softness and friendship, and Medrano feels that Swift has long served as a beacon of these concepts.
“I’ve loved that ever since ‘Barbie’ kicked off like last summer at the same time as ‘The Eras Tour’ I felt so much positive feminine energy in the world that is so needed. I think that the world is coming to realize that Swifties knew long ago that femininity and loving to make things pretty and making things fun does not mean that they aren't also important, educational, and intelligent,” said Medrano.
“It's the same thing as women wearing colorful suits to the workplace. It's empowering, and that’s how I feel female pop artists are really trailblazing the way for this entire election. Their music has been so rooted in those exact feelings of honoring girlhood, kindness, femininity, and women. They already had so many people here for this feminine energy, and now Kamala is pushing us forward and to our first woman president. It’s such an honor to be a part of this moment.”
When asked what friendship bracelet he would like to give to Kamala, he answered that he would make a creation based on Swift’s track “Mirrorball” from her “folklore” album.
“‘Mirrorball’ is my favorite song in the world. I feel like it’s a perfect fit for Kamala, because it would remind her to shine and let all sides of herself show,” said Medrano.
“It’s a reminder that she can do it. ‘Mirrorball’ is such an empowering song, it makes me feel like I can do anything I want. I’m on a trapeze, and I’m rocking it.”
You can access Swifties for Kamala’s resources and social media accounts here.
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