Taylor Swift Fails to Take Out Marsha Blackburn

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Justin Caruso

Pop superstar Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen failed to persuade the great people of Tennessee on Tuesday.

The race was called for Tennessee Republican Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) at around 8:05 pm. She handily defeated her Democratic opponent, former Gov. Phil Bredesen, whom Swift gave a full-throated endorsement.

The 28-year-old singer broke longtime silence on politics last month to endorse Bredesen and Cooper, saying that Bredesen’s opponent Marsha Blackburn has a voting record that “appalls and terrifies” her.

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

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“As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn.” the “Bad Blood” singer said.

“Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Swift also blasted America’s “terrifying” and “sickening” amounts of “systemic racism.”

“I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.”

Swift also used her speech at the American Music Awards (AMAs) in October to promote voting following her endorsement of Democrats, urging her fans to “get out and vote.”

The Grammy-winner went so far as to celebrate voting for Bredesen.

Finally, the “Shake It Off” singer pleaded with her fans to vote on Election Day Tuesday, saying, “I’m seeing a lot of underestimation of young voters and this new generation who now have the right to vote just in the last couple of years, but these are people who grew up post 9/11, they grew up with school shooting drills at their schools.”

“These are people who want to vote,” she added.

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