Overview

• Harris campaign staff were instructed to avoid direct outreach to Taylor Swift and defer all contact to Doug Emhoff.
• Emhoff’s request to Swift’s lawyer, Doug Baldridge, was met with the reply that “Swift would do what Swift thought best,” halting further involvement.
• Swift’s only contribution was an Instagram endorsement after the Sept. 10, 2024 debate and she made no in-person appearances on the campaign trail.
• The campaign shifted to star-studded rallies featuring Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and others, spending tens of millions in battleground states.
• Internal staff raised concerns that the celebrity-filled events had scant evidence of boosting voter turnout or persuading undecided voters.