United States: Taylor Swift, an essential asset for the 2024 presidential election? (III)

(this is a follow up of a previous post)

And according to a survey published in early December by a Harvard institute, the number of young people surveyed “definitely” planning to vote for the next presidential election fell to 49%, compared to 57% in the fall of 2019.

"Mobilize"

The participation rate in general, and that of young people in particular, will be one of the keys to the next presidential election.

And for Matthew Harris, it is surely in this area that Taylor Swift could have the most impact.

“I don’t think people are like, ‘Oh! Taylor Swift supports Joe Biden, so I’m going to vote for him,’” he explains. The most important will be “his ability to mobilize people, to encourage them to register to vote”, because “these are people who are already predisposed to vote for Joe Biden”.

Especially since the "Swifties", the name given to the singer's fans, live mainly in residential suburbs, adds the political scientist, areas which "tip the American political balance".

Taylor Swift published a message on Instagram in September inviting her 272 million subscribers to use the Vote.org platform to register to vote.

Result? The organization recorded more than 35,000 new registrations that day, a jump of 23% compared to the same day a year earlier, and further proof of the singer's influence.

The superstar could also encourage mobilization through his positions, particularly on abortion.

When the Supreme Court annulled the constitutional guarantee of the right to abortion in 2022, the artist said she was "terrified" that women's right to control their own bodies would be taken away from them, a fight that is close to Kamala Harris, Joe Biden's vice-president.

But for the latter to gain the singer's support, perhaps the president would no longer have to confuse her with Britney Spears, as he did in November...

United States: Taylor Swift, an essential asset for the 2024 presidential election? (I)

Pop superstar, youth idol, and soon-to-be campaign icon? The influence of singer Taylor Swift is at the heart of all the desires for the 2024 American presidential election.

The 34-year-old artist, personality of the year according to Time magazine, is at the top of his art, breaking absolutely all records.

One example among many: his “Eras Tour” exceeded the symbolic threshold of a billion dollars in revenue over 60 dates in 2023 – an amount never seen before in the history of music.

Hailing from the rural state of Tennessee, Taylor Swift began her journey in country music, a genre particularly beloved by conservatives.

According to a poll published Tuesday by the Marist Institute, the artist behind hits like "Shake It Off" and "Bad Blood" is credited with 70% favorable opinions among Americans.

A figure that Joe Biden, for whom she voted in 2020, can only dream of for himself: the Democrat's popularity rating, in decline since the start of his mandate, now stands at just under 40%. favorable opinions according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight.

Could Taylor Swift revive Joe Biden by calling to support him in 2024? The presidential candidate's campaign team is sure of it.

“Thank you for not telling us that we need a Taylor Swift strategy. We are following the file,” joked an executive from Biden’s team on Wednesday, sharing a job description for the campaign.

(to be continued)