Taylor Swift has been in the spotlight for more than 12 years now, but she has never spoken publicly about her political beliefs.

She has, however, spoken about sexual assault. In 2017, she was on the cover of Time Magazine for being a silence breaker because of a sexual assault court case. In 2013, she was groped by DJ David Mueller, who grabbed the singer’s butt at a meet-and-greet session. When she told his boss, he was fired and filed a defamation lawsuit against Swift, who counter-sued, and  claimed he assaulted her. She won a symbolic $1, which she requested to “serve as an example to other women who may resist publicly reliving similar outrageous and humiliating acts,” according to her lawyer.

In an Instagram post on Monday (Oct. 8) Swift broke her political silence by endorsing the Tennessee Democratic candidates and urging her fans to vote in the midterm elections.

“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,” said Swift in the post. “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.”

She also condemned Republican Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn for voting against equal pay for women, and for not protecting women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape, as well as voting against gay rights.

“Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me,” said Swift. “These are not MY Tennessee values.”

Swift endorsed Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper and asked fans to “educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values.” She urged fans to vote even if there was no ideal party or candidate.

“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,” said Swift. “Happy voting!”

She spoke again about the necessity of voting again during her American Music Awards acceptance speech for artist of the year. Swift broke AMA records, and became the most decorated female artist with 23 total awards.

After thanking her fans, she said, “This award and every single award given out tonight were voted on by the people and you know what else is voted on by the people is the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Get out and vote I love you guys.”

President Donald Trump has already spoken about the singer’s statement. He said he likes her music “about 25 percent less now.”

As Swift continues to speak out about politics and the midterm elections get closer, it will be interesting to see what comes next.