Taylor Swift's post-debate endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, appears to have completely backfired. A new post-debate poll from YouGov released Saturday found that while 8% of voters said Swift's endorsement made them "somewhat" or "much more likely" to support the Democratic ticket, a significant 20% said they are "somewhat" or "much less likely" to vote for former President Donald Trump’s opponent after Swift spoke out.
The majority of respondents, however - 66% - said Swift’s high-profile endorsement made no difference in how they will vote in the upcoming November election, according to the NY Post.
The Grammy-winning artist made waves on Instagram to her 283 million followers shortly after Tuesday night’s presidential debate, stating, "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice." She encouraged her followers to do the same, emphasizing that "the choice is yours to make." Swift praised Harris as "a steady-handed, gifted leader" who could lead with "calm and not chaos."
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Despite Swift's powerful platform, the endorsement seems to have mixed, and even negative, impacts on voter sentiment. While 32% of those polled believe her endorsement could have a positive effect on Harris’ campaign, 27% said they don’t think it will make a difference either way. A notable 41% - nearly 460 respondents - expressed the view that the "Shake It Off" singer shouldn’t speak publicly about politics at all, reflecting the persistent debate over whether celebrities should wade into political waters. Meanwhile, 38% felt she should make public endorsements, indicating that there remains a split on the role celebrities should play in shaping political discourse.
Most of the poll's participants - 66% - reported not being fans of Swift, while 28% identified as fans and 6% as big fans. Unsurprisingly, the majority of her "big fans" were women and registered Democrats.
Trump, meanwhile, didn't hold back after Swift's endorsement of Harris, writing on Truth Social:
Swift’s endorsement may have stirred more than just political conversations; it also sparked a wave of civic action. Reports indicate that her call to action led to a flood of traffic on the voter registration website, vote.gov, well into Wednesday afternoon. A spokesperson for the site noted that 337,826 visitors came to vote.gov after clicking a custom link Swift shared on Instagram, showing that while her endorsement may not have swayed many votes, it certainly mobilized civic engagement.
That said, the YouGov poll reveals a potential disconnect between public celebrity endorsements and actual voting behavior. While 46% of respondents thought Harris won the debate, compared to 19% for Trump, only 6% said the debate caused them to reconsider their vote. A substantial 76% of respondents said it did not impact their decision, reflecting a possible gap between high-profile endorsements and tangible voting shifts.
