Taylor Swift: Rep. Blackburn’s Voting Record ‘Appalls & Terrifies Me’

Taylor Swift will not be voting for Marsha Blackburn to represent her home state of Tennessee in the Senate. The singer, who does not typically get involved in politics, took to Instagram on Sunday, October 7, to criticize Blackburn and endorse Democrats Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper. Swift’s post garnered nearly 400,000 “likes” in less than an hour.

“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! ???”

Rep. Blackburn has been a member of Congress since 2003 and has served as the Republican Deputy Whip. She is the chairman of the Communications and Technology subcommittee. She is running for the Senate against Democrat Phil Bredesen. Recent polls show Rep. Blackburn slightly ahead of her opponent leading up to the November election.

A consistent conservative, Rep. Blackburn has a strong record of voting in line with the Republican party. Some of her most recent votes include voting in support of the 2018 Farm Bill and to roll back banking regulations put in place by the Dodd-Frank Act. She was not present for several votes in July and September. You can see her full voting record here.

For his part, Phil Bredesen took to Twitter to thank Taylor Swift for the endorsement. He wrote, “Thank you for the kind words @taylorswift13. I’m honored to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done. We’re ready for it. Last day to register to vote is October 9.”

Bredesen is the former governor of Tennessee. He served in that office from 2003 until 2011. He also served as Mayor of Nashville from 1991 until 1999.

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