Taylor Swift Endorsement of VP Kamala Harris Delivers ‘Swift Effect’

Posted on: September 13, 2024, 09:43h. 

Last updated on: September 13, 2024, 09:56h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Taylor Swift on Tuesday night endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the nation’s next commander-in-chief.

Taylor Swift Kamala Harris Donald Trump odds
Taylor Swift poses at the MTV Video Music Awards at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Sept. 11, 2024. Swift’s backing of Kamala Harris for president is reportedly turning out new voters. (Image: Getty)

Swift’s legions of so-called “Swifties” reportedly heeded her call to get out the vote for Harris. Vote.gov, the federal government’s official voter registration website, saw a surge in visitors in the immediate hours after Swift told her 574 million social media followers that she would be voting blue on November 5.

According to Tom Bonier, a senior advisor at TargetSmart, a campaign consultancy in Washington, DC, Vote.org has experienced a 400% to 500% increase in voter registration.

It’s really unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We’re calling it the ‘Swift Effect,'” Bonier told CBS News.

“Usually, you’ll see these increases and they kind of fade away, but in this case, we’ve seen it continue through the last two days,” Bonier continued. “We’re talking about nine to 10K people per hour [visiting Vote.org].”

Harris remains the 2024 betting front-runner with her implied odds hovering around 50-56%.

Will They Vote? 

The Vote.org traffic came not only after Swift endorsed Harris, but also after the vice president and former President Donald Trump participated in their first — and likely only — debate. The rush of traffic to Vote.org could also include undecided voters who settled on who they’ll vote for after the more than 90-minute discourse.  

With Harris overwhelmingly being deemed the winner of the debate, paired with Swift’s endorsement, the odds are likely good that the bulk of the Voter.org traffic is from new voters who wish to cast a ballot for the Democratic presidential candidate. Bonier says historical data shows that people who register to vote so close to Election Day turn out and vote.

“Dating back to 2020, people who registered this close to the election, over 80% of those new registrants actually turned out,” Bonier revealed. “So, it’s safe to say that not only are these voters registering but it’s likely that they’re going to come out.”

Asked during an appearance on Fox News about Swift endorsing his opponent, Trump said he’s “not a Taylor Swift fan.” The former casino magnate said Swift is “a very liberal person” who “always endorses” Democrats and will “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”

Trump went on to say he’s a fan of Brittany Mahomes, whose husband is Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes recently spoke publicly in support of Trump. Swift is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Previous Turnout 

The 2020 election saw a record number of votes cast to install Joe Biden as the 46th president. More than 158.4 million votes were counted, a 16% increase from the earlier record set in 2016 when Trump and Hillary Clinton fielded nearly 136.7 million votes.

2016 topped the previous record of 131.4 million votes in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected to his first term.

With Vote.org reporting high traffic numbers, a strong voter turnout isn’t typically good for the Republican candidate. That could be why Trump’s 2024 odds since the debate have lengthened.

At political wagering exchange Smarkets, Trump’s implied odds of winning in November have dropped below 47%.