The 2020 election is fast approaching, and Taylor Swift is ready for it.
The pop star wrote an article for Elle on Wednesday and said that she's "finding her voice in terms of politics" and has taken "a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government." Swift had remained silent on political issues for most of her career, but in 2018, she endorsed two Democratic candidates in Tennessee House and Senate elections. She also spoke out against Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, saying her "voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me."
Now, Swift has made clear that this wasn't a one-time thing. Going forward, she says she is "going to do more to help," suggesting she'll endorse a presidential candidate for the first time by writing, "we have a big race coming up next year."
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This is a change of pace from years earlier, when Swift intentionally did not involve herself in politics. In 2008, for instance, Swift said in an interview that she tries "to stick to my specialty and my specialty is music," adding, "I don't think it's my job to try and influence people which way they should vote," per The Boston Globe.
But a lot has changed since then, and Swift wrote in Elle that she "saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change." She also said that only last year did she feel "informed enough" to comment on these issues and that it's her "responsibility" to speak out against people who are "invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging."
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