How Taylor Swift Once Brutally Divided Pennsylvania Representatives

Taylor Swift grew up in a lavish home in Pennsylvania before she became famous, and in 2023 some politicians in her home state were excited to honor their hometown hero. However, others were against it. Here's what went down. On December 13, 2023 (Swift's 34th birthday), the Pennsylvania House of Representatives declared 2023 the year of the "Taylor Swift Era," per the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Swift was given this honor "in celebration of [her] recent selection as TIME Magazine's 2023 Person of the Year and acknowledgment of her positive impact on Pennsylvania's economy, voter registration numbers, consumer protections and pro-labor practices."

The resolution honoring Swift was narrowly passed by just three votes. It was supported primarily by Democratic representatives, though not all of them. One of the arguments that was made in support of the resolution was Swift's potential impact on the election. She endorsed her first presidential candidate, Joe Biden, in 2020. And in 2023, Vote.org said that there were more than 35,000 voter registrations after Swift posted on social media about the importance of voting. But for at least one representative that argument was a part of the reason that they voted against the resolution.

Others against the resolution didn't take issue with Taylor Swift's politics but rather where she lived. One Republican representative pointed out that while Swift may have been born in Pennsylvania, she had since moved to Tennessee so the resolution didn't make sense. Swift set her sights on moving to Nashville when she was just 10 years old, and she and her family moved there when she was 13. Swift now owns properties across the U.S., though none in Pennsylvania. Lyrics from "Shake It Off" and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" both made it into the official record during the debate over the resolution.

The resolution noted the positive impact that Swift's Eras Tour had had on Pennsylvania's economy and the charitable donations she'd made to food banks in the state. Swift played the Eras Tour to Philadelphia in May 2023, where she referred to them as "hometown shows," via NBC Philadelphia. She also performed in Pittsburgh in June 2023. Even with 100 votes against her, going to show that not everyone in Pennsylvania is a Swiftie, the singer still has love for her home state. She's even sung about it, notably in "Christmas Tree Farm."