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Taylor Swift and Virginia’s next governor: Why her masters are the focus of a new ad campaign

Oct 08, 2021

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Taylor Swift fans could help decide the outcome of Virginia’s gubernatorial race. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is running for the seat again on Nov. 2. He has a new five-figure ad buy that connects his opponent, Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, to Swift’s bitter battle to gain control over the master recordings of her first six albums, including FearlessRed and 1989.

Youngkin is the former co-CEO of the Carlyle Group, which financially backed the 2019 sale of Swift’s masters to Ithaca Holdings, an umbrella company owned at the time by music manager Scooter Braun. Swift’s masters have since been sold again.

Swift has been very public about her dissatisfaction with the situation, to the point where she has been re-recording her first six studio albums so fans can listen to versions that belong to her. She released “Taylor’s Version” of the 2008 album Fearless this past April, and is putting out her version of the 2012 album Red next month. McAuliffe’s campaign has been trying to tap into Swift’s fanbase through a digital campaign, as well as tweeting out references to Swift songs and coopting the hashtag #WeStandWithTaylor.

Recent polls show a tight race. McAuliffe has a narrow lead over Youngkin less than a month out from elections seen as a national bellwether.

McAuliffe has attacked Youngkin’s career at Carlyle but is himself an investor in the company. In July, The Associated Press reported that McAuliffe invested at least $690,000 in Carlyle funds between December 2007 and the end of 2016.

NEW CAMPAIGN ADS FEATURING T-SWIFT ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THE INTERNET

IT ALL RELATES TO THE UPCOMING RACE FOR VIRGINIA’S NEXT GOVERNOR. 

DEMOCRAT TERRY MCAULIFFE IS TAKING AIM AT HIS REPUBLICAN OPPONENT. 

HE CLAIMS THE GOP CANDIDATE TRIED TO MAKE A MINT OFF SWIFT’S ORIGINAL MUSIC. 

THEY READ: “DID YOU KNOW THAT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, GLENN YOUNGKIN, HELPED BUY TAYLOR SWIFT’S MASTERS OUT FROM UNDER HER WHEN HE WAS CO-CEO OF CARLYLE GROUP?”…

YOU MAY REMEMBER  SWIFT’S MASTERS WERE SOLD BY MUSIC EXEC SCOOTER BRAUN WHEN HE BOUGHT THE ‘BIG MACHINE’ RECORD LABEL THAT FORCED SWIFT TO RE-RECORD ALL HER PAST ALBUMS.  

SO WHAT DOES GLENN YOUNGKIN HAVE TO WITH THIS?

WELL, HE HELPED BRAUN BUY THE LABEL – WHICH IN TURN LED TO SWIFT GETTING THE SHORT END OF THE STICK.

NOW DEMOCRATS ARE USING THAT FACT TO SPELL TROUBLE FOR YOUNGKIN. 

URGING VIRGINIANS WHO LOVE SWIFT TO VOTE BLUE THIS ELECTION. 

YOUNGKIN’S CAMPAIGN IS CALLING OUT THE SWIFT DECISION, SAYING, “TERRY MCAULIFFE HAS REACHED THE STAGE OF DESPERATION IN HIS CAMPAIGN WHERE HE’S ROLLING OUT THE MOST BASELESS ATTACKS TO SEE WHAT STICKS. IT’S A PATHETIC FALL THAT COULD ONLY BE ACHIEVED BY A 43-YEAR POLITICAL HACK.”

DO YOU THINK THESE TAYLOR SWIFT ADS WILL SWAY VOTERS?