Abdul El-Sayed  Embraced His Swiftie Status All the Way to the U.S. Senate

Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s open Senate seat after a campaign that drew attention for his enthusiasm for Taylor Swift. A viral TikTok using “You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)” brought him millions of views and Swiftie fans’ support, though the article says his policy positions were the main reason voters backed him.

The July video, in which El-Sayed danced in a cowboy hat, was viewed 5.7 million times and included rewritten lyrics aimed at his opponent, Mike Rogers. El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination in August, and later defended Swift’s mixed-reviewed album on a podcast, saying artists should be encouraged to take creative risks. Swift did not endorse him, but her representatives did not ask for the campaign video to be removed.