Not everyone's thrilled Taylor Swift got political on Instagram: 'Be quiet and sing!'

·4 min read

Taylor Swift has remained one of the few pop stars to keep her political beliefs to herself, but that changed on Sunday night when she posted an impassioned message on Instagram speaking out against Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican. While many of her fans praised her new willingness to get politically involved, others criticized her for not sticking to music.

Taylor Swift got political on Instagram, but not everyone was happy she decided to share who she’s voting for. (Photo: Lisa O’Connor/AFP/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift got political on Instagram, but not everyone was happy she decided to share who she’s voting for. (Photo: Lisa O’Connor/AFP/Getty Images)

“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,” she wrote on Instagram. “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.”

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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! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Swift, who is registered to vote in Tennessee, then came out in support of Phil Bredesen, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate against Blackburn in the midterm election, and Democratic Rep. Jim Cooper, who’s seeking reelection.

The 28-year-old also encouraged her fans to register to vote — no matter what state they live in.

“Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values,” she wrote.

While many appreciated Swift for speaking up, not everyone responded to her post with cheers. Some people on Twitter said Swift should have stuck to keeping her political opinions to herself, claiming that her country fans will be disappointed in her espousing liberal views.

The never-ending feud between Swift and Kanye West lent itself to comparisons between the two singers’ political endorsements, as Swift vowed to vote for Democrats and West has repeatedly been spotted wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat in support of President Trump. Some pointed out that those who took offense to Swift getting political didn’t seem to mind West doing the same — just for the opposite political party.

Time will tell if Swift continues to speak her mind when it comes to politics, but she clearly believes a lot is riding on this year’s midterm elections — whether fans like it or not.

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