Taylor Swift has remained one of the few pop stars to keep her political beliefs to herself, but that changed on Sunday night.
Taylor Swift has remained one of the few pop stars to keep her political beliefs to herself, but that changed on Sunday night when she posted an impassioned message on Instagram speaking out against Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican. While many of her fans praised her new willingness to get politically involved, others criticized her for not sticking to music.
“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,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”
Swift, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, then came out in support of Phil Bredesen, a Democrat running for U. S. Senate against Blackburn in the midterm election, and Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, who’s seeking reelection.
The 28-year-old also encouraged her fans to register to vote — no matter what state they live in.
“ Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values,” she wrote.
While many appreciated Swift for speaking up, not everyone responded to her post with cheers. Some people on Twitter said Swift should have stuck to keeping her political opinions to herself, claiming that her country fans will be disappointed in her espousing liberal views.
The never-ending feud between Swift and Kanye West lent itself to comparisons between the two singers’ political endorsements, as Swift vowed to vote for Democrats and West has repeatedly been spotted wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President Trump. Some pointed out that those who took offense to Swift getting political didn’t seem to mind West doing the same — just for the opposite political party.
Time will tell if Swift continues to speak her mind when it comes to politics, but she clearly believes a lot is riding on this year’s midterm elections — whether fans like it or not.
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