FilmMagic for dcp via ABC/Jeff Kravitz/AMA2018
Maybe not every celebrity had the power to motivate their fans to head to the polls today, but it appears Taylor Swift just might have.
After Taylor endorsed Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate, and then urged her fans repeatedly to vote, Bredesen is now crediting the superstar with giving him a big boost this Election Day.
His camp tells ABC News that they are quietly “confident” of a win, in part because of what they’re calling the “Swift Lift.” The “Swift Lift” refers to Tennessee’s youth vote, which is showing a 700% uptick. That’s the biggest jump of any state.
Bredesen told ABC News that the youth vote is “really critical for my victory,” adding that “historically, youth voters haven’t voted in large numbers, but they’re out in hard numbers” for this election. Bredesen admitted that what Taylor did is very important in this instance.
Taylor initially endorsed Bredesen because she said that his opponent, Marsha Blackburn, had a voting record that “appalls and terrifies” her. She said that Blackburn “voted against equal pay for women,” and also voted against the reauthorization of an act that protects women from domestic violence, stalking and date rape. Taylor also said Blackburn doesn’t believe gay couples have a right to marry.
Stay tuned.
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