Donald Trump’s “Holy War” on Taylor Swift: where do NH Gov candidates stand?

On Sunday night Taylor Swift’s boyfriend won the Super Bowl,  an excruciating moment for Republicans across the nation.

Why excruciating? Well, last week Republicans declared a “Holy War” on the iconic, history-making singer, all because she once encouraged young people to register to vote. The right then whipped up countless conspiracy theories of a deep-state plot to help the Chiefs win so Swift can make a major endorsement of President Joe Biden. Even Republican Governor Chris Sununu – a Trump guy through and through – opposed the Chiefs.

Over the weekend Trump claimed credit for Swift’s success and warned against her endorsing President Biden, saying, “There’s no way she could endorse Crooked Joe Biden, the worst and most corrupt President in the History of our Country, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.”

Swift shook the political world in September of last year when a single instagram post moved over 35,000 new voter registrations. That kind of political influence with young Americans has the mainstream Republican establishment terrified, and working overtime to smear the singer/songwriter ahead of a tough 2024 election.

So we caught up with all the candidates running for governor week to see what side they took in this upcoming Holy War.

Both Joyce Craig and Cinde Warmington issued statements of support for Swift. 

Both Kelly Ayotte and Chuck Morse… declined to comment.

Joyce Craig:

Here’s what former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig had to say: “I don’t understand the ‘Bad Blood’ that MAGA extremists have with Taylor Swift, but I do know that we need to be ‘Fearless’ in our efforts to win back the Governor’s office to protect working families and reproductive freedom. Kelly Ayotte has built her ‘Reputation’ on her extreme record of voting for national abortion bans, pledging to defund Planned Parenthood, and stacking the Supreme Court with anti-choice justices to overturn Roe v. Wade. It’s time for a new ‘Era’ in New Hampshire where we work together to support communities and create opportunities for Granite Staters.”

Kelly Ayotte:

NO COMMENT. Ayotte is running arguably the most secretive campaign in state history, unwilling to reveal even who she voted for in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary, so we’re not too surprised she’d be unwilling to answer, so we can only provide context and let readers decide for themselves.

Ayotte has opposed major issue sets Taylor Swift has championed. Swift has said she was “absolutely terrified” when the Supreme Court rolled back abortion rights when they overturned Roe in 2021. Kelly Ayotte herself laid the groundwork for that decision by helping Donald Trump cement a conservative majority on the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and supported a national abortion ban while in office.

Swift has been an outspoken champion on LGBTQ+ rights while Ayotte opposed marriage equality while serving in the Senate, even while gay marriage was legal in New Hampshire.

Ayotte has called Donald Trump a role model, and pledged to support him if and when Trump is nominated. Does that mean she’ll support him in his Holy War on Swift? Well, she wouldn’t be supporting Trump if she didn’t.

Cinde Warmington: 

Here’s what Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington had to say: “Taylor Swift is fearless and knows all too well how to shake it off when a sad man like Donald Trump throws insults at her. Long story short, before Republican politicians continue to attack an icon like Taylor, they should remember that karma is the thunder that will rattle your ground in November.”

Chuck Morse 

NO COMMENT. While he refused to comment on this story, there’s no confusion that Chuck Morse is the MAGA candidate in this governor’s race, going so far as to recruit volunteers to get Trump elected in Nevada instead of volunteers to help win his own race.

Morse has made his ties to Trump a central feature of his campaign, and, much like Ayotte, has a long anti-abortion record, as the architect of New Hampshire’s current abortion ban.

Morse voted not to allow New Hampshire to recognize legal out-of-state same-sex marriages, to allow “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ youth, and voted against employment and housing protections for transgender people. If we had to guess? If he’s backing Trump on everything else, he’s probably backing him on his war on Taylor Swift too.