Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence, Comes Out Swinging Against Female GOP Tennessee Senate Candidate: ‘Appalled and Terrified’

Pop star Taylor Swift uncharacteristically stepped into the political ring over the weekend, revealing bad blood with Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), who is running to fill outgoing Sen. Bob Corker’s (R-Tenn.) seat.

In an Instagram post published Sunday evening, Swift explained she has largely remained silent when it comes to politics, but claimed: “several events in my life and in the world in the past two years” have led her to reconsider her apolitical persona.

 

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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

In the wordy post, the “Blank Space” singer voiced her support for the LGBTQ community, rebuked racism and called out discrimination based on sex. She also announced she can’t bring herself to cast her vote for Blackburn, even though she “would like to continue voting for women in office.”

“Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” Swift wrote of the Republican lawmaker. “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.”

It is worth noting, however, that the Violence Against Women Act has in the past faced some criticism from people on both sides of the aisle. Some critics believe the act’s mandatory arrest clause, for example, has led women to underreport abuse because they’re fearful going to police could result in their partners, often the sole bread-winners, being thrown in jail, leaving the women, many of whom are mothers, without financial security.

Swift also took issue with Blackburn’s conservative stance against gay marriage. In 2015, the congresswoman described the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, as “a disappointment.”

“These are not MY Tennessee values,” the singer-songwriter declared.

Toward the end of the post, Swift endorsed Democratic candidates Phil Bredensen, the former governor of Tennessee who is now running for U.S. Senate, and Jim Cooper, who is running a re-election campaign to keep his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Politics is a tough game. Blackburn is just gonna have to shake it off.