NASHVILLE, Tenn. – With only 23 days left until the November 6 midterm elections, a poll by Cygnal, a Republican polling and research firm, shows Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Democrat Phil Bredesen has done little to move the needle in the race.
The 28-year-old superstar stunned fans by breaking her career-long political silence on Instagram with her endorsement of Bredesen. While election officials in Tennessee have noted an increase in voter registrations, more than 86% of respondents say their vote hasn’t changed, despite 82% of respondents indicating they were aware of the endorsement.
“Millennial and Gen Z voters are highly aware of the endorsement of the Democrat, but it did little to move their vote preference,” said Matt Hubbard, VP of Research & Analytics at Cygnal. “Swift’s endorsement is providing a boost to get-out-the-vote efforts, but we’re seeing minimal impact on the race.”
The statewide survey, conducted October 13-14, of 414 likely general election voters under the age of 35 in Tennessee, shows Democrat Phil Bredesen (50%) with a 14-point lead over Republican Marsha Blackburn (36%) in this age segment. 10% of young voters remain undecided.
“Anytime a celebrity endorses a candidate or speaks publicly about their political views, there’s always a risk of alienating fans on the other side of the aisle,” said Brent Buchanan, Cygnal’s President and Founder. “In this case, Swift’s endorsement may lead to ‘Bad Blood’ with her conservative fans.”
Respondents that were swayed by Swift’s choice to ‘Speak Now’ were split between the candidates, with 5% saying that they would now support Bredesen, and 6% indicating they would now vote for Blackburn.
Taylor Swift superfans (respondents who have attended 4-5 of her concerts) heavily favor Bredesen (48%-26%). Bredesen’s lead swells to +52 among concert-goers who’ve attended at least 6 of Swift’s shows, but the race is tighter among less passionate fans. Respondents who have attended only one of her concerts are evenly split between the two US Senate Candidates (Bredesen +1).
Check out the toplines, crosstabs, and smart tables for Cygnal’s TN general election survey.