Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris could help the Democratic candidate gain more support from young voters, but the impact may not be as great as expected.

Addy Al-Saigh, 19, woke up on the evening of September 10 to a notification on her phone that read “Taylor Swift just posted a post.” On her Instagram account with more than 280 million followers, the singer announced her support for Kamala Harris in this year’s White House race, right after the debate between her and Donald Trump ended.

“Taylor Swift has such an impact on so many people and it’s important that she speaks out. I’m proud of her for doing so,” said Al-Saigh, a student in Virginia. “I hope it will encourage more people to register to vote and that more people will speak out.”

Swift explained that she supported Ms. Harris because the 59-year-old female politician “fights for what is right” and America needs “a warrior” like the Vice President. “I think she is a strong, talented leader and the country would achieve more if it was led by calm instead of chaos,” the singer commented.

According to observers, Swift’s support for Harris will have a certain impact on this year’s White House race, but perhaps not to the extent many people expect

According to CNN , Ms. Harris has a net support of 15 percentage points among voters under 30, higher than President Joe Biden’s 7 percentage points before he dropped out of the race in July. Net support is the difference between the rate of support and disapproval in the survey.

However, these numbers are worse than when Mr. Biden ran for the 2020 election. The Democratic representative’s net support in September 2020 was 25 percentage points, then increased to 29 percentage points in the poll close to the election day.

In January, a Newsweek poll found that 18 percent of voters said they were “more likely” to vote for a candidate endorsed by Swift.

Swift’s statement will resonate with Americans under 35, as about 30% of that group say they’re more likely to vote for someone Swift supports. A 2023 Morning Consult poll found that more than half of Swift’s fan base (Swifties) identify as Democrats. The other half is evenly split between Republicans and independents.

“The key to the 2024 presidential election is getting more voters to the ballot box,” said Linda Bloss-Baum, a professor of government at American University in Washington. “The new votes will likely come from younger voters who have not been interested in previous elections.”

Bloss-Baum said many students have asked to register to vote because “they are proud to be Swifties.” The instructor cautioned against underestimating the power of celebrity, adding that Swift sold more than 4.3 million tickets in the U.S. for her Eras Tour last year.

“Swift’s connection to an entire generation surpasses that of any other artist. The millions of likes on Swift’s post within minutes shows that her fans are ready to support her, and possibly Harris,” Bloss-Baum added. “Swift’s post received nearly 10 million likes. A fraction of those likes, if translated into votes for Harris, could influence the outcome of the November election.”

As of 2 p.m. on September 11, more than 330,000 people had visited the official U.S. government voter registration page via the link in Swift’s post, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Analysis from the Washington Post showed that Google searches for how to register to vote spiked after Swift’s post.

Not everyone who visits is registered to vote, though. Assuming everyone does, that would represent just 0.2% of the 2020 electorate. But with Democrats struggling to reach young voters, any help they can get is important.

“This support is important, especially in close states,” said Democratic strategist David Thomas.

Republican strategist Doug Heye agreed, saying Swift’s endorsement would open the door for Democrats to reach young voters and boost their fundraising efforts.