New Beacon Center poll measures impact of Taylor Swift on TN politics

Despite the hype over Taylor Swift's potential impact on the 2024 election, an endorsement from the star is not likely to have a significant influence on voters in Tennessee, a poll released Wednesday from the conservative think tank Beacon Center has found.

Swift has been more vocal about her political views in recent years, including saying she wouldn't vote for U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn in 2018. But only 17% of Tennessee voters say an endorsement from the music star would have any influence – whether positive or negative – on their vote.

When asked whether a Swift endorsement for president or U.S. Senator would impact their vote, 81% of voters said her endorsement would not affect their decision. Of those who would be influenced, 12% of voters said Swift's endorsement would make them more likely to vote for her candidate, while 5% said they'd be less likely to vote for her pick.

The majority of Tennesseans in the poll, 58%, say they're not Swift fans while 37% of Tennessee voters consider themselves “Swifties.” Voters who are fans are more likely to have voted for President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

Beacon's spring 2024 poll surveyed 1,197 likely voters between March 15 and April 2, and has a margin of error of 2.77 percentage points.

Johnson holds strong lead in U.S. Senate primary, Blackburn leads general

While 26% of poll respondents remain undecided in Tennessee's U.S. Senate race, state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-knoxville, holds a strong lead in the Democratic primary, leading competitor

Marquita Bradshaw by 31 points, the poll found.

But in the general election, Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn is still comfortably ahead by 16 points, the poll found.

“While Senator Blackburn does maintain a clear advantage with her 16point lead, there are some signs of hope for the Johnson campaign,” Beacon spokesperson Mark Cunningham said. “In addition to her healthy lead in the Democratic primary, Johnson has made some inroads since our October poll, cutting Blackburn's lead by four points.”

Just over 40% of poll respondents said they approve of Blackburn's job performance, while 28% said they disapprove.

Kennedy shrinks Trump’s lead in presidential contest

Former President Donald Trump maintains a strong lead in the race for the White House in Tennessee, remaining the preference for most Tennessee voters, 58%, when matched head-tohead against Biden, 33%.

But in a three-way race that includes independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who 15% of respondents said they'd support, Trump's lead diminishes to 20 points over Biden.

Gov. Lee keeps 67% approval among Republicans

Now into his sixth year in office, Gov. Bill Lee remains popular, with 48% of Tennessee voters approving his job performance, and 28% disapproving. Lee is most popular among Republicans, with 67% approval, and least popular among Democrats, with just 28% approving.

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X at @vivian_e_jones.