What I Heard at Swifties for Kamala

You might not be shocked to learn that Elizabeth Warrens favorite Taylor Swift song is about cosmic justice.

I love Karma, the senator from Massachusetts said last night during a Zoom event for a group called Swifties for Kamala. And I have a thing or two to say about private equity! The 34,000 attendees probably would have cheered, but, as is typical for such a massive webinar, only the organizers had control of the microphone and camera. Warren was undaunted by the lack of response. It is going to be a tough fight ahead, she said, winding up. There are only 24 hours in a dayor 144 All Too Well 10-minute versions. [Pause for no laughter.] But heres the thing, just like youve done every time before, we will push this boulder up the hill.

Only a die-hard Swiftie would have caught all the references in Warrens words, which included a jab at the investment group backing Swifts nemesis, Scooter Braun, and a lyric from a Swift deep cut said to be about the singers beef with Kim Kardashian. It seems safe to assume that Warren did not write all of these quips herself. But she would not be the only speaker on the call whose staffers had squeezed an unconscionable number of jokes into last nights remarks.

Read: The Millennial cringe of Taylor Swift

Identity-based calls to action have been all the rage in this season of Democratic politics, with events like White Dudes for Harris and Win With Black Women drawing tens of thousands of attendees. Although Americas Swifties are not an ethnic or racial group, they are arguably a religious one. Last nights call was an attempt to harness their unflagging devotion to the pop star and put it to political use.

The whole thing was, somehow, even cringier than I had anticipatedand, as a Swiftie myself, I am familiar with the fandoms extreme dorkiness. The organizers looked startlingly young and inexperiencedintroducing lawmakers in shaky voices, clearly nervous to be blindly addressing thousands of viewers. They passed the mic too often, rambled, and misspoke. And the middle-aged politicians were working painfully hard to demonstrate fluency in the dialect of Swiftworld.

Still, the cringe seemed, at least partly, the point. Like the broader Harris campaign, these organizers leaned into the awk. Theres been a lot of talk about how joy isnt a strategy, Irene Kim, a Swifties for Kamala co-founder and its executive director, said on the call, citing a recent New York Times op-ed. But that definitely hasnt been our experience!

The project began with a post by a 22-year-old named Emerald Medrano, who runs a popular Swift fan account. I feel like us U.S. swifties should mass organize and help campaign for Kamala Harris, he wrote on X in July. Soon, Swifties for Kamala was born: a partnership of fans, some of whom run social-media accounts and others who have experience in Democratic politics. A month later, the group has 71,000 followers on X, a Substack newsletter, and a Discord channel.

The organizers seem to assume that Swift, who backed Joe Biden in 2020, will support the Democratic nominee. But Swift has not actually endorsed anyone yet, a fact that went unacknowledged in last nights call. Her support in the race is highly sought after; last week, Donald Trump shared tacky AI deepfakes to claim he had the pop stars backing. During the Democratic National Convention, rumors swirled of a surprise musical performance: Would it be Taylor? (No.)

Were keeping things political, but also everything has a layer of Swiftiness to it, Annie Wu Henry, the campaign manager at Swifties for Kamala, who has also worked for Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressive lawmakers, said during last nights call. Organizers wore Swift-themed cardigans and displayed glittery #47 s on their hands, in reference to what could be Harriss place in the presidential timeline. They encouraged viewers in the Zoom chat to chip in either $13 or $19.89both important Swiftian numbersand, like Taylor, they frequently folded their hands into hearts for the camera.

Read: Taylor Swifts post-Reputation approach to politics

The Zoom event was light on policy talk, heavy on allusion. After Warren spoke, Representative Becca Balint of Vermont offered a pep talk: The MAGA movement will be defeated by our dominoes, cascading in a line! she said, quoting the song Mastermind. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York read off a few jokes. Karma is a relaxing thought, but for Donald Trump its notfacts! she said, to the ever-silent audience. If youre in line to vote, stay, stay, stay! When Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts showed up, he revealed that his favorite Swift song is, oddly, Snow on the Beachbecause it highlights the risks of global warming. Climate change is threatening our favorite phenomenon, the senator said, before adding that the waters outside Swifts beach house in Rhode Island are some of the fastest-warming in the world!

Just like a Taylor Swift marketing campaign, the Zoom call promised surprises and exciting guests. There would be a big announcement at 8 p.m., organizers teased, and a very special person would wrap up the call at about 8:30 p.m. One special speaker was the singer-songwriter Carole King, now in her 80s, who materialized like a yellow-haired fairy godmother. King, who called Swift her musical and songwriting granddaughter, sang part of the chorus from Shake It Off, and offered advice to first-time campaign volunteers: The key to door-knocking is asking a good question and then listening. She urged Swifties to ask voters what they might find in common with Harris. Youre building a bridge to that person, King saidaware, apparently, of how much Swifties appreciate bridges.

At 8 oclock, the big announcement was made: Merch drop! Swiftie T-shirts and tote bags reading In My Voting Era were for saleno affiliation, organizers carefully reminded fans, with Swift herself.

Nearly two hours into the call, the surprise final guestRepresentative Jasmine Crockett of Texas, a rising Democratic starstill hadnt appeared. The leaders of Swifties for Kamala began signing off. Im so blessed, and so happy and fully immersed in Swiftie-ism right now, Medrano said. Were going to paint the town blue, and its going to be the coolest thing thats ever happened in this country!

The letdown didnt kill their enthusiasmwith Swifties, it never does. The group had raised money at a clip that the capitalist icon herself would have been proud of: The nights fundraising haul totaled an auspicious $122,000. If Harris is hoping that joy andyescringe can help her win the White House, shes got the right fandom on her side.