Swifties for Kamala raises over $122k for Harris-Walz campaign on kickoff call to over 34,000 Swifties

Program focused on calls to action, featuring speakers Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Ed Markey, and a surprise performance by Singer/Songwriter Carole King.

Swifties For Kamala (S4K) held its coalition kickoff call with over 34,000 attendees. During the two-hour call, more than $122,000 was raised for the Harris-Walz Presidential campaign through the organization’s unique ActBlue landing page. Over 2,000 new volunteers joined the S4K Discord server during the call.

S4K political leaders Annie Wu Henry and April Glick Pulito highlighted relational organizing tools Neighbor2Neighbor through Indivisible, who also provided the Zoom hosting for the call, and Fanout, a non-partisan organization that announced an Eras Tour concert ticket giveaway to those who use its platform to register to vote, make a voting plan, and encourage their friends and family to do so as well. Swifties took over 14,000 voter actions during the call.

S4K’s Campaign Manager, Annie Wu Henry, who works full time in the political arena, introduced the political program the organization intends to execute and the specific calls to action they will be pushing supporters toward in the coming weeks until election day.

“For our overall political strategy, the goal is to provide insight, connections, and support so that the robust team we’ve assembled at S4K can do its thing while also making sure our partnerships and calls to action are as intentional and electorally impactful as possible. The size and sophistication of the operation is incredibly impressive, and I think it is clear to anyone who joined the call if Republicans aren’t afraid of some ‘little Swifties on the internet’—they should be,” said Henry.

Swifties aren’t just a bunch of little girls posting on the internet...

Swifties aren’t just a bunch of little girls posting on the internet; we are a broad coalition spanning diversity in race, age, gender, sexuality, geographic location—and while we do love posting on the internet and making cute bracelets, we are willing to do a lot more than that, especially when it comes to our rights and freedoms. From volunteer opportunities to ways to donate to taking voter actions, we are empowering this community to get involved and channel their excitement into action - all in places and in ways they already love,” said Henry.

S4K Political Director April Glick Pulito, a professional political communications strategist, told the story of how she got involved in politics through volunteering and relational organizing, then followed by explaining the Swifties4Kamala organizing program, including direct opportunities to host events like debate watch parties, phone banks, and peer-to-peer organizing.

“There’s a reason that so many elected officials joined us tonight: because they understand the power and positivity of this community when we mobilize to take action,” said Glick Pulito. “Our goal is to make taking those actions accessible for first-timers and help this already incredible fandom step into that power and make real change at the ballot box and also with their friends, families, and communities.”

The call featured a surprise song when singer-songwriter Carole King sang a snippet of “Shake It Off” for attendees. “I’ve been a political activist for years—I've been a volunteer, I’ve been a door-knocker, even as a famous person,” said King.

If any of you are thinking of volunteering to be door-knockers or phone callers, don’t be afraid because there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Shortly after 8 p.m. ET, S4K announced $60k had been raised and promised a surprise if $65k was reached. Just minutes later, it was announced that the organization surpassed $70k in donations. With this milestone, S4K unveiled its first merchandise collection in collaboration with Shop Social Goods—designed by Swifties, for Swifties. Proceeds from the collection will support organizations working to register voters. Over 1,000 orders were placed within the first hour of the announcement.

The call opened and closed with remarks from co-founders Emerald Medrano and Irene Kim.

“This movement started for me in a moment of anxiety. I felt like I wanted to be the cheer captain instead of just on the bleachers,” said Medrano. “To my surprise, I got thousands and thousands of messages of support. Now, we are showing others that voting should be celebrated, not tolerated.”

“It’s really special to organize like this because I think being a Swiftie is a really special thing; it’s a unique experience. The amount of passion and dedication here is unmatched. This really is just the start, which is wild. But I guess in Taylor’s words, ‘Can you feel it now? These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down.’ I think it’s important to remember that this group and movement started from a single tweet, so it’s proof that every single voice matters and why it’s so important for each one of us to do what we can to help elect our first female president this year,” said Kim.

Speakers included Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Becca Balint and Chris Deluzio, who all included Swift references in their remarks.

“You come together hand in hand, friendship bracelets on your wrists, and you overcome anything life throws at you,” said Sen. Warren. “It’s about standing up for what is right against bullies like Donald Trump.”

“Therein lies the issue: friends don’t try to trick you. Trump and Vance have no qualms about lying to you and trying to trick you,” said Rep. Balint. “We’ve got no reason to be afraid. They should be afraid of our power. It’s massive.”

“It can feel like a lot to have to stand up and do the hard work. Even amidst that weight from that real responsibility for our country, we should have some joy,” said Rep. Deluzio. “If Taylor’s music gives you that jolt or sense of community, channel that and use that to do the things we need to do for this country.”

Other political representatives that joined the call included Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator Ed Markey, and Chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party, Anderson Clayton.

I also believe that Swifties can play a huge role in this campaign because no one organizes like Swifties,” said Sen. Gillibrand.

"I'm in awe of the community you have created online to share not just your love for Taylor Swift but your commitment to building a better world," said Sen. Markey.

The call also included remarks from Lexa Hayes, the organization's Friendship Bracelet Coordinator (Yes, we have one of those!), and Emma Coleman, Social Media Manager of the @swifferwins and @S4Kwins Twitter accounts.

During the call, Swifties For Kamala and #S4KCall were trending in the top three under Politics on Twitter, as well as the top five nationally on Threads. The @Swifties4Kamala accounts were live posting and sharing across platforms, gaining Pop Base, Variety, Billboard, and other media attention.