Taylor Swift Endorses Brett Kavanaugh Supporter

Singer Taylor Swift endorsed Brett Kavanaugh supporter Phil Bredesen with an Instagram post on Sunday in a rare foray into politics.

Bredesen, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Tennessee, said Friday he would support Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court, following accusations of sexual misconduct that Kavanaugh denied. Bredesen's decision angered some liberals, including progressive group MoveOn, which announced it was pulling a six-figure digital video ad expenditure for Bredesen as a result.

Swift, who has been criticized for years by some corners of the left for staying out of the political fray, admitted she had been previously "reluctant" to publicly voice her opinions but now felt differently. She had harsh words for Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.), Bredesen's opponent and a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

"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," she wrote. "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."

Swift, who has a home in Nashville, listed off positions she opposed of Blackburn's and announced she was voting for Bredesen and Rep. Jim Cooper (D., Tenn.) in his House race. The country singer-turned-pop superstar is in the middle of her "Reputation" stadium tour.

"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," Swift wrote.

 

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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

Kavanaugh was confirmed by a 50-48 vote in the U.S. Senate on Saturday and then sworn in the same day. It followed a contentious battle over the misconduct allegations that came forward after his hearings had concluded.