âIt does feel like a very easy friendship to form because [being a Swiftie] is more about the art than the artist in a lot of ways,â Myers says. âWe all come from different backgrounds, but we all have sort of the same philosophy.â
The second factor of S4Kâs success is the most important, and also the reason I find it unlikely for the movement to be replicated to the same degree. For many Swifties, Taylor Swift is not just a musician but a role model. And have you ever heard of a more methodical, more dedicated, more hardworking pop-star-slash-business-woman than Ms. Taylor Alison Swift?
âWe see her always pushing those boundaries, always so dedicated and so efficient with how she does things,â Medrano explains. âShe thinks things through so clearly and tries to make them fun at the same time. Thatâs the mindset, at least for me, that Iâve applied to Swifties 4 Kamala.â
Kim has another theory about the Swiftiesâ mobilizing capabilities: âI think a lot of us have eldest daughter energy for sure,â she says, referring to the pop psychology archetype of eldest daughters as driven, Type A, organizational freaks. âThereâs different reasons everyone likes Taylor, but I think when you get to the hardcore fan base, itâs people who have experienced [what Swift sings about],â she adds, shouting out âThe Man,â Swiftâs take down of the patriarchy, specifically. âTaylor Swift is the eldest daughter for eldest daughters.â
April Glick Pulito, the organizationâs politics director, is one of the S4K board members with the most political organizing experience. The 36-year-old is a mother to a toddler and a full-time communications coordinator for a progressive political organization. Since seeing Medranoâs tweet, sheâs managed to carve out an extra 20 hours of her week to devote to Swifties 4 Kamala. Sheâs not at all surprised by S4Kâs successes. âSwifties really know how to hit the marks,â she says. âTheyâre so organized and the community is so strong. Thereâs a really strong sense of internal trust, which has really lent to, all right, we move.â
With fewer than 33 days until the election, Swifties 4 Kamalaâlike the Harris campaign itselfâis kicking into high gear. With their newsletter, Paint the Town Blue, theyâve continued to highlight downballot races in various districts across the US; in the coming weeks, theyâll focus on their phone banking and post cardâwriting efforts in swing states. And with the help of the S4K friendship bracelet committee, they will continue to make and distribute friendship bracelets, which include a QR code directing to the âGet Involvedâ page on their website.
In the end, Swifties 4 Kamala didnât need Taylor Swift to make their mark. Though, as Glick Pulito notes, âSheâs always welcome to show up at our party.â Maybe one day she will. For now, the group is focused on the relationships they have with one another, and the candidate they believe will help them thrive. Swiftâs philosophy is simply the blueprint.
âI had Taylor as my role model,â says Medrano, âand Iâm using that map sheâs given me to make sure I can do cool things too.â