Taylor Swift’s endorsement backfires on Kamala Harris

Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris appears to have backfired, according to a poll.

A new poll from YouGov released Saturday found that only 8 per cent of voters said the superstar’s approval would see them “somewhat” or “much more likely” to vote for Ms Harris.

But the same poll, which ran on Sep 11 and 12, found one in five (20 per cent) of those surveyed would be less likely to vote for her after the endorsement

Immediately after the Trump-Harris TV debate on Tuesday, Swift posted on Instagram: “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them,” to her 284 million Instagram followers, urging them to register to vote and make their own choice.

Her post drew 10.4 million likes and the vote.gov website received 405,999 visitors in the 24 hours after Swift shared a custom URL with followers.

Ms Harris aides say they would love for Swift to actively campaign, such as by appearing at a rally in her native Pennsylvania, a battleground state that could well decide the election.

But the polling might suggest this wouldn’t be in her best interests.

The Harris campaign itself was not involved in Swift’s decision to back Harris.

The vice president’s aides said they learned of Swift’s support only when the entertainer, 34, posted minutes after the vice president stepped off the debate stage in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.