The countdown to the 2024 US presidential election has begun with caucuses and primaries kicking off across the country. Unsurprisingly, this election echoes that of 2020 as Biden and Trump are their parties’ leading nominees. Allan Lichtman, a historian who has correctly predicted every election since 1982, comments that for the Democrats to win Biden must run again and the party is predicted to be the winner in accordance with his ‘13 Keys’ system. However, the predicted result is still subject to change and there’s time for either to take the lead. Republicans are right to be nervous about Biden being a popular Democrat nominee, but some supporters have gone as far as to say the party holds a potential 14th key: Taylor Swift. 

Taylor Swift needs little introduction nowadays, being the most followed female artist on Spotify whose ongoing Eras Tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time. Her influence is not to be underestimated, but it is intriguing to see conspiracies claiming she uses it to swing the election in favour of the Democrats. 

In the advent of Super Tuesday, Swift encouraged her supporters to vote, but she has not yet endorsed any candidate herself this year. Despite this, she has been the target of Republican conspiracy theories. Fox News host Jesse Watters’ claim that she is a Pentagon asset was soon debunked, with the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh concluding “as for this conspiracy theory, we’ll shake it off”. Republican Politician Mike Crispi posted his conspiracy that the NFL is rigged so it can be used as a platform for her to “spread DEMOCRAT PROPAGANDA”. Moreover, Travis Kelce’s endorsement of Pfizer has not helped Swift avoid such allegations. The conspiracies have been insane, and some have even titled her as an “Aryan Goddess” to the delight of white supremacists . What is perhaps more shocking is that almost ⅕ of Americans believe in the Taylor Swift Election Conspiracy. 

Such claims seem extreme considering that Swift has kept her political views quiet for much of her career and it was only a few years ago that she started discussing politics. In 2020, the documentary Miss Americana spoke about Swift’s decision to publicise her political views, which were disclosed for the first time during the 2018 midterms through her endorsement of two Democrats: Jim Cooper and Phil Bredesen. Her promotional single ‘Only the Young’ was written following these elections which left Swift disappointed with the victory of Breseden’s opponent Marsha Blackburn. 

It’s hard to take these claims seriously when Swift has not even endorsed Biden this year. Yet, Democrats aren’t quick to push these claims away entirely, and are even embracing them. Biden himself joked that information around him and Swift being in cahoots is “classified”. California Governor Gavin Newsom defended Swift’s political involvement asking “what is her sin… she wants more people to vote”. If Swift is a threat to Republicans because she wants to increase turnout, we must re-evaluate what this means for democracy in the US? 

Whilst Swift may not necessarily be the political weapon that Republicans are framing her as, we cannot dismiss the degree of influence she has over her fanbase. With fans camping outside venues months before she is due to perform, the commitment and admiration her Swifties have for her is undeniable. She could wield a large degree of influence over young, female voters in particular as many of them view her as an independent successful role model. While there are concerns that people are turning to figures like Swift for their political education, when there are politicians discouraging higher turnout maybe this a sign we need more people like Taylor Swift this election year.