Taylor Swift endorses Democrats running for office in Tennessee

In an Instagram post on Sunday, Taylor Swift announced she is backing Tennessee Democrats Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives, adding that while she's been "reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions," she feels "very differently about that now" due to "several events in my life and in the world in the past two years."

Swift said she will be voting in Tennessee during the Nov. 6 midterm elections, and has always voted for candidates who "will protect and fight for the human rights we all deserve in this country. I believe 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."

Citing her vote against the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and belief that businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples, Swift shared she "cannot support" Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, saying her "voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me." She will vote for Bredesen and Cooper, and urged people to educate themselves before hitting the polls. "For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100 percent on every issue, but we have to vote anyway," she said. Swift has 112 million followers on Instagram.

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