Who wants Taylor Swift’s endorsement? Who wouldn’t, says former recipient

A former lawmaker who “knows very well” the power of getting a boost from Taylor Swift says “any sane person” would want the superstar’s support.

“You want papal approval. Is there anyone left with great appeal?” former Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) said of Swift.

The political world has been buzzing in recent days over whether the Grammy Award winner will support the president, as the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Baltimore Ravens will send Swift’s boyfriend, tight end Travis Kelce, to the Super Bowl. As a result, he is in a state of meltdown. Biden’s re-election bid.

new york times reported this week For the Biden campaign, Swift’s support will be “confirmation of their wildest dreams.”

Cooper is part of an ultra-exclusive club of those who have already received the honor. Cooper went on record to express political support for Swift in 2018.

He can still recite where and when he got the information that the 34-year-old “Shake It Off” singer was shouting at his fans.

“It was a Sunday night. I was attending a 90th birthday party in a place where there was no cell phone service. But I had my cell phone in my pocket and it went crazy. So I knew something was going on,” Cooper told ITK.

Presuming the worst-case scenario, such as a car accident or a house fire, he sneaked a peek at his cell phone in the men’s room.

“At the stall I checked all my messages and first I got a message from my daughter. So I called her and she said, ‘Dad, dad, dad!’ She was out of breath and she thought, “Oh my god, what just happened?” Was someone hurt? ”

“And she said, ‘Taylor supports you.'” She loves Taylor Swift, and I love her, so I knew right away about Taylor Swift. he said.

Cooper, who was an incumbent in the race six years ago, said he never asked for mass support just days before the voter registration deadline.

“In the past I have been reluctant to express my political opinions publicly, but due to some events that have happened in my life and in the world over the past two years, I am now less comfortable expressing my feelings about it. A lot has changed,” Swift said. wrote on Instagram at that time.

“I’m going to vote for Phil Bredesen in the Senate and Jim Cooper in the House,” Swift said of the two Tennessee Democrats. “Educate yourself about the candidates running in your state and vote based on the candidate who best represents your values.”

“Who’s left on the planet with 29 million followers on social media? I’m like, oh my god. I can’t count that much,” Cooper, 69, joked.

“I really didn’t have a very good race,” he added.

“The real endorsement that was important was for Mr. Bredesen, who was running a tough race in the Senate,” Cooper said of the former Tennessee governor who was running against the congressman at the time. Marcia Blackburn (R). “I think that’s why she did it. And I was probably added as a safe backup, in case Phil lost, so it doesn’t seem like she had any impact.”

That’s what ended up happening. Cooper won re-election in November and has served in Congress for a total of more than 30 years. He announced that he would not seek re-election in 2022 after redistricting split his hometown of Nashville.

Mr. Blackburn is seeking a second term in the Senate.

But still, Cooper said Swift wasn’t the scorching sensation she is now.

“Six years ago, she was a star, but not a supernova,” he says.

Cooper Lawrence, author of Celebritocracy: The Misguided Agenda of Celebrity Politics in a Postmodern Democracy, says celebrity endorsements have several benefits for politicians. said that while it has important benefits, it doesn’t always work out as well as the celebrity faces behind it. intend.

“Every study that’s out there says that while celebrities get attention, it’s family and experience that really solidifies political self-concept,” Lawrence said.

“Look what happened. [Swift] Lawrence, who has a doctorate in psychology and hosts the podcast “Cooper and Anthony,” said in Tennessee.

“When she tried to get people to vote against her, she was not successful.” [Blackburn]. They came out and voted, and she just didn’t vote like she wanted them to vote. ”

But 2024 could be different: Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll published this week A Newsweek survey found that 18 percent of voters surveyed said they were “more likely” or “very likely” to vote for a candidate supported by Swift.

And whispers of a possible Biden endorsement sparked a furious backlash from the right, countless outlandish conspiracy theories accusing the “Eras” entertainer of a “spying operation,” and the Super Bowl favoring the Chiefs. She was manipulated into giving Biden an advantage. It can maximize exposure to potential Biden support.

Swift’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment from ITK on who the star would put his stamp of approval on in the 2024 race.

“If she were a Republican and conservative, the Republicans wouldn’t complain. They would probably be overjoyed. So it’s an embarrassment to them that she’s a liberal.” ” Lawrence said of Swift, who criticized former President Trump and supported Biden in the 2020 White House race.

However, the radio personality added, “We’ll see if it affects the actual vote.” Historically, that’s usually not the case. ”

For Cooper, the uproar on the right can be summed up in one word: envy.

“People who don’t have her support are just jealous,” said the former congresswoman, a global fellow at the Wilson Center and a distinguished fellow at Vanderbilt Law School.

“I’m one of the luckiest people in American history to have her support.”