Kansas professors/fans: Musician Taylor Swift poised to raise political voice in 2024
Professional musician and novice Kansas City Chiefs enthusiast Taylor Swift avoided flexing her artistry on the political stage during the 2016 presidential contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
A pair of Kansas college professors, who consider themselves Swifties, said the Grammy Award winner began to find her voice in 2018 while calling upon passionate fans to register to vote.
“I’ve heard criticism about her political silence before 2018, particularly her political silence during the 2016 election. I hear those concerns. I understand them,” said Brian Donovan, a University of Kansas sociology professor who has been working on a book about Swift. “If we put it in context, we should recognize that she came from a country music background that tilted more conservative. She saw what happened to the Dixie Chicks, now called the Chicks, when they spoke out about politics.”