Tim Walz is “grateful” that Taylor Swift, the pop star phenomenon, has endorsed his and Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign ahead of the 2024 election.
Just moments after Harris wrapped her first debate with Donald Trump in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the 14-time Grammy winner revealed she will be circling Harris’ name on the ballot later this year.
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” Swift, 34, said on Instagram.
The endorsement was welcome news to Walz, who praised the singer’s “courage” to speak out.
“I am incredibly grateful, first of all, to Taylor Swift. I say that also as a cat owner — a fellow cat owner. That was eloquent and it was clear,” Walz told MSNBC host Rachel Maddow. “And that’s the type of courage we need in America, to stand up.”
“We’ve seen it out of those Republicans who were at the DNC, we’ve seen it out of women who would like to have their own personal lives kept personal, but are forced to go out there cause they nearly died because they can’t get abortion services in a pregnancy,” he went on.
“And now you have somebody like Taylor Swift, coming out and making that very clear.”
The Minnesota Gov. and Democratic vice presidential nominee, 60, also gave a shoutout to the “Fortnight” singer’s huge fanbase, adding, “This will be the opportunity, Swifties — KamalaHarris.com — get on over there, give us a hand, get things going.”
In 2020, Swift endorsed President Joe Biden and Harris’ campaign.
The “Cruel Summer” hitmaker — who is fresh off the European leg of her Eras tour — said she was “so heartened and impressed” by Harris, 59, selecting Walz as her running mate.
Swift praised Walz for “standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
The pop star said she has done her “research” for her pick and urged Swifties to do the same.
Swift said she was inspired to come forward with her choice for 2024 after artificial intelligence was used to create a fraudulent image of her supporting the Republican candidate.
“It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is the truth.”
The singer signed off with a tongue-in-cheek one-liner, “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady.”
The lengthy caption was accompanied by a photo of her holding and her cat, Benjamin Button, which was taken during her TIME Person of the Year issue in December.
The picture selection is believed to have been a subtle allusion to the backlash to a 2021 quote by Republican vice presidential candidate Ohio Sen. JD Vance, in which he referred to Democrat women as “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.”