'Swifties for Kamala' think Harris is the 1 to beat Trump. And they want to help

Decked out in their friendship bracelets and ready with a long list of song-related puns, Taylor Swift fans came together Tuesday night. But they weren’t there for a concert. They were there to organize.

“Welcome to the Swifties for Kamala kickoff call. It's been waiting for you,” Irene Kim, the executive director and co-founder of the group, said with a smile.

The grassroots organization, which is affiliated neither with Swift nor the Harris campaign – launched hours after President Biden ended his presidential bid and Vice President Harris took over the ticket, is focused on mobilizing Swift fans to get out the vote for Democrats this fall. It’s the latest in a growing list of coalitions taking action for Harris, including ‘White Dudes for Harris,’ which reported having nearly 200,000 attendees and raising more than $4 million.

Swifties for Harris held its first organizing call on Zoom Tuesday night and featured appearances from a handful of progressive political leaders – including Massachusetts Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with an appearance from musician and long-time Swift friend Carole King.

After the call ended, the group reported raising more than $122,000 for Harris’ campaign, growing to more than $140,000 by Wednesday.

The gathering of more than 34,000 was another glimpse into the organic enthusiasm that Harris has benefited from in the past month since announcing, and while the Swift fan base spans generations, it’s another potentially promising sign for her standing with the youth vote – a critical voting bloc for Democrats this fall.

While Swift backed Biden four years ago, she has yet to publicly endorse in the presidential race. Still, her ability to rally her fans to political causes is