Breaking a long-standing refusal to discuss anything political, Taylor Swift has announced who she will be voting for in the midterm elections.

On Instagram, the pop star revealed she plans to support Tennessee's Democrats next month – putting an X next to Phil Bredesen for the Senate, and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives.

The 28-year-old wrote: "In the past I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now."

The Tennessee native also criticised Republican candidate and US representative Marsha Blackburn for her opposition to certain LGBTQ rights.

She said: "As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appals and terrifies me.

"She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the re-authorisation of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape.

"She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values."

In her impassioned post, Swift also described the "systemic racism" towards black Americans as "terrifying, sickening and prevalent".

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Im writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which Ill be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past Ive been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! ???

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Swift did not mention Mr Bredesen's endorsement of Brett Kavanaugh, whose Supreme Court confirmation was overshadowed by accusations of sexual assault against him.

But she did say: "For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway."

Urging young Americans to participate in the midterms, Swift concluded: "So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count."

Following her post, Mr Bredesen tweeted: "I'm honoured to have your support and that of so many Tennesseans who are ready to put aside the partisan shouting and get things done.

More from Taylor Swift

"We're ready for it."

Swift has been criticised in the past for not using her global platform to speak about politics. She has 112 million Instagram followers and 83.5 million on Twitter, despite not having tweeted since June.

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