CNN
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Left-leaning Taylor Swift fans joined artists like Carole King and politicians, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, on a Zoom call organized by the group “Swifties for Kamala” in an attempt to rally the pop star’s fans to vote for Kamala Harris.
Swift herself is not affiliated with the group and did not participate in Tuesday’s call. CNN has reached out to Swift’s representative for comment on the event.
The “Swifties for Kamala” campaign has garnered nearly a quarter-million followers across multiple social media platforms since President Joe Biden announced he would not seek a second term and endorsed Vice President Harris. So far, the group has raised more than $13,000 for the Harris-Walz campaign.
More than 26,000 participants signed up to join the call Tuesday evening, which was attended by CNN and also included remarks from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Chris DiLuzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) and North Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Anderson Clayton.
Irene Kim, co-founder of Swifties for Kamala, had previously told CNN that the group had hoped Harris or her running mate, Tim Walz, would join the call, though neither showed up.
“Hello Swifties!” was how Warren, the first speaker of the night, greeted the group, as heart, thumbs-up and party emojis streamed over the Zoom stream.
“You are resilient, you know how to stand up to bullies, you know how to be your most authentic self and your happiest self,” Warren said. “You come together, hand in hand, with friendship bracelets on your wrist, and you overcome whatever life throws at you. And that’s what Kamala Harris’s campaign is all about. It’s about standing up for the right to stand up to bullies like Donald Trump.”
King sang her favorite Swift song, “Shake It Off,” during the call, urging attendees not to be afraid to stand up and use their voices in the lead-up to the election.
“I’ve been politically active for years, I’ve been a volunteer, I’ve been knocking on doors, even as a celebrity,” King said.
“I’m a Swift fan, and Taylor and I are actually friends,” the music legend also said. “We’ve had conversations backstage, and I kind of see her as my musical, songwriting granddaughter, and we have a great relationship and I’m very proud of her.” King added, “I’m very excited for Kamala because a lot of people are excited for Kamala.”
Gillibrand made some jokes about Swifty (“Karma is a comforting thought, but for Donald Trump, it’s not” and “Kamala says, ‘Look what you made me do’”) and also referenced the infamous cat lady remarks made by Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance.
“I think it’s important for us, as single women, as independent women, as women who know every Taylor Swift lyric, to be part of this campaign and part of this election,” Gillibrand said. “I think she can be a voice for this generation that has real depth, as someone who values women’s words, who values women, who values our independence.”
Markey spoke about climate change when referring to Swift’s summer home in Rhode Island.
“Climate change threatens our favorite phenomena,” Markey said. “The waters off Taylor’s New England vacation home are among the fastest warming in the world, outside the Arctic. And right now, Kamala is running against the leader of climate change deniers.”
In the chat, organizers called for action in the way Swift does: by asking for donations of $13 or $19.89 — numbers that have meaning for the singer — or $47, in reference to the next president.