Taylor Swift and the political needle

FILE PHOTO: (L-R) President/COO Republic Records Avery Lipman; Scott Borchetta, CEO of Republic Records Monte Lipman, and recording artist Taylor Swift attend the Republic Records Grammy Celebration presented by Chromecast Audio at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktail on 15 February 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Another day, another Taylor Swift media circus: talk of the pop phenomenon is omnipresent, from her forthcoming concert film to her dating life to her wildly successful global tour.
And as the 33-year-old's power grows all-consuming, renewed discussion of her potential political weight has followed.
Swift is taking a break from playing sold-out arenas before heading back on the road for the remainder of her Eras Tour, which is poised to become the first tour to make $1 billion.
But she's still gracing stadiums, as she cheers on her rumored beau Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The presence of Swift — who got her start in the country before becoming one of pop's most dominant forces — at two of his games saw television ratings spike and sales of the NFL player's jersey soar 400 percent.
With hundreds of millions of social media followers and a staunchly loyal fan base, she can move any deal with the tiniest of efforts: late last month, Swift encouraged her fans to register to vote, directing them to the nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org.
The Swifties did not disappoint.
That single message posted on National Voter Registration Day saw the institution record more than 35,000 new registrations, 23 percent more than last year and the most since 2020.
Shortly thereafter, California's Democratic governor Gavin Newsom told the entertainment outlet TMZ that Swift was "using her celebrity for good."
"What she was able to accomplish in getting young people activated to consider that they have a voice and they should have a voice in the next election, I think it's profoundly powerful."
Political toe-dips
Swift's toe-dips into politics have been heavily scrutinized, garnering both criticism and praise; her years-long reticence to voice political opinions received the same treatment.
