Though country music is believed to be for conservatives, many modern country singers and songwriters have proved that country music is also for liberals still. Here is the list of 18 liberal democratic country singers who have supported and spoken for liberals publicly.
18 Most Liberal Democratic Country Singers (Updated 2020-2022)
Natalie Maines & The Chicks
Natalie Maines is the lead vocalist of the band The Chicks, formerly known as Dixie Chicks. According to the Tennessean, the singer donated approximately $7,000 to Democratic political between 1992 and 2007. In 2008, she also supported Barack Obama.
Besides, she and her band also showed their contempt for Republican candidate Ted Cruz. They have also opposed President Donald Trump since then. During the 2020 Democratic National Convention, Natalie Maines and her bandmates are the country singer singing the National Anthem.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson has endorsed many Democratic politicians. He said in 2015 that he was a great fan of Bernie and Hillary. During the midterm elections, he supported Beto O’Rourke, a Democratic candidate for Texas governor, in 2018. In 2020, nelson was a fundraiser for Joe Biden. Moreover, he has supported farmers and the LGBTQ movement.
Taylor Swift
Even though Taylor Swift has mostly remained silent about her political views, she shared her support of Democrats on social media in October 2018. Particularly, in her Instagram post back in October 2018, she shared that she endorsed two Democratic candidates, Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper.
In that post, she also showed her opinions against racism and has long supported human rights, specifically LGBTQ rights: “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.”
Faith Hill
Faith Hill and her husband, Tim McGraw, are country singers endorsing Democrat Barack Obama.
She supported about $7,500 for the Democratic National Committee in 2007, and in 2008, she gave $5,000 to the presidential campaign of Barack Obama. She also performed at Obama’s inaugural celebration.
Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw confirmed that he is “to be a blue-dog Democrat” in an article in People magazine in 2008. He also stated that together with his wife, he and his family would “do everything” they could to “support Obama.”
Tyler Hubbard
Tyler Hubbard performed the song “Undivided” with Tim McGraw at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2020. Also, in a 2020 article, the People reported that Hubbard temporarily unfollowed his fellow Brian Kelley owing to disagreements over politics. Particularly, Hubbard shared a story showing his support for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Meanwhile, Brian showed that he was a supporter of Donald Trump.
LeAnn Rimes
Though LeAnn Rimes has performed at both Democratic and Republican events, she appears to lean more on the left-wing since she has long advocated for LGBTQ rights and gay marriage.
In an interview with PrideSource, she said: “I believe in equality. Everybody should be treated exactly the same way no matter what their race, no matter what their sexuality.”
Sheryl Crow
In an interview with TV’s “Good Morning Britain,” in 2017, Sheryl Crow expressed that she was not a supporter of Donald Trump and wanted him to be impeached:
“It’s my hope that sooner than later he’s not in office anymore. I mean the word impeachment definitely comes out of my mouth, but what we need is a functioning government, and it’s been, for the last 144 days, nothing but chaos.”
Jason Isbell
Jason Isbell is a democrat country singer that has long advocated for Democratic politics. He was a supporter and fundraiser of the re-election campaign of Sen. Doug Jones in 2020. In 2021, Isbell publicly showed his support for Beto O’Rourke’s campaign running for Texas governor, according to Chron.
In October 2016, Isbell tweeted: “I am a Democrat. I am trying to get people to vote for Democrats. This isn’t a ‘good people on both sides’ situation here.”
Tyler Childers
Tyler Childers is a country singer who has raised his voice against racism and expresses solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. In his six-minute message, he stated:
“We can use our voting power to get rid of the people that have been in power and let this go unnoticed. We can stop being so taken aback by Black Lives Matter. If we didn’t need to be reminded, there would be justice for Breonna Taylor, a Kentuckian just like me, and countless others.”
Reba McEntire
Since 2009, Reba McEntire has been advocating for the LGBTQ community. In an interview with PrideSource, she expressed that LGBT equality and same-sex marriage rights are “very important” to her. Also, when being asked about “embracing LGBT fans with open arms,” she expressed: “Well, I’ve always embraced gay and lesbian fans with both arms. I have a huge gay following!”
Rosanne Cash
Rosanne Cash is the daughter of Johnny Cash, and she described herself as “very liberal.” She even wrote a satirical article with the title: “Why I’d Make A Better Vice President Than Sarah Palin.”
Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles bluntly said about her politics, confirming that she is “a registered Democrat,” in an interview with Billboard. She supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and also performed at the 2009 inauguration President Obama with John Legend and James Taylor.
Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood has contributed to many left-leaning candidates. She has donated approximately $3,000 to Democratic candidates over the years.
Kacey Musgraves
Though Kacey Musgraves does not state that she is liberal-leaning, her lyrics suggest that. Her songs are about weed and gay love and casual hookups. In an interview, she told the Boot about her single, ‘Follow Your Arrow’:
“I’ll play it at shows where there’s a huge age range of people and even the older people are getting into it. More than anything, even if they don’t agree with the girls kissing girls thing or even the drug reference, I would hope that they would agree that no matter what, we all should be able to love who we want to love and live how we want to live.”
Brandy Clark
Brandy Clark told the Guardian that country music audiences are now not limited to conservatism, and they have been “more socially liberal.” She was also the co-writer of the “gay rights anthem,” Follow Your Arrow.
Garth Brooks
Although Garth Brooks was not overtly political, he seemed to support Obama’s presidency. When Obama was in the White House, he attended a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and expressed his support during a Facebook live stream, stating:
“Can’t thank the Obamas enough for serving this country, and may God hold Trump’s hand in the decisions that he makes in this country’s name as well.”
Steve Earle
Steve Earle got political at a 2016 live show at New York City’s City Winery, where he showed his endorsement for 2016 presidential Bernie Sanders but expressed concerns about Donald Trump. From the time he first emerged on the country music scene in the mid-’80s, the Grammy-winning country rocker has been an outspoken liberal. He specifically addressed some of the most divisive topics of the Sept. 11 attacks in his 2002 album ‘Jerusalem.’
What Political Party Is Country Music?
Country music is stereotyped to be for conservatism. However, during the music revolution, modern country music artists have proved that this music genre is not only on the conservative mind but also the liberal one.
Country music songs usually written wrote about old churches and farm life in the early 1900s. They were foreign and intriguing to the people of the United States, making them grow in popularity.
People frequently mistake country music for the soundtrack of the Republican Party and the Confederacy because it originated in the South and has remained popular there throughout history. Country music has found its way to the conservative side of politics, but it was not founded on conservative principles.
Music historian Lester Feder told on the podcast of NPR Music that the South, where country music originated, “was not solidly conservative,” and in fact, “was a Democratic region.” According to Feder, country music has not been inherently conservative.
He stated: “It showed that the assumption that many people have, that country music has always been conservative and is necessarily conservative, isn’t true. It’s something that happened over time and people had to work on it actively in order to make it happen.”
Who are the most conservative country singers?
Here are some conservative country singers who are Republicans and endorsed conservatism:
- Travis Tritt
- Trace Adkins
- Lee Greenwood
- Larry Gatlin
- Blake Shelton
- Hank Williams Jr.
- John Rich
- Granger Smith
- Jason Aldean
- Justin Moore
FAQs
Who are the most liberal country singers?
Some of the most liberal country singers are Jason Isbell, Natalie Maines, Willie Nelson, Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Faith Hill, and Taylor Swift.
Is Chris Stapleton a democrat?
We cannot tell which political party Chris Stapleton supports because he hasn’t explicitly endorsed any politician or discussed his supported party.
He has spoken out about the Black Live Matter after the death of George Floyd. On CBS This Morning, he said: “I thought we were living in a different country. That’s 100% real. The country that I thought we were living in was a myth… Do I think Black lives matter? Absolutely. I don’t know how you can think they don’t…”
Are there any liberal country musicians?
Yes, there are many liberal country musicians, including Tim McGraw, Jennifer Nettles, Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, Jason Isbell, and Willie Nelson.
References:
- https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/05/26/larry-gatlin-nra-convention-performance-withdraw/9943891002/
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/10/21/country-singers-election-stereotypes-cmt-awards/
- https://theboot.com/most-political-country-artists/
Entertainment-loving Mary O. Borges grew up admiring classic films and TV and wanted to participate in the industry.
Mary attended University of Southern California after high school in 2009. She got accolades in film and TV production. Mary worked as a production assistant after graduating. She quickly realized she loved behind-the-scenes work. She believes all stories should be told and promotes marginalized voices. She seeks creative ways to entertain and engage audiences.
Since college, she’s loved comics and anime. She’s interested in how various genres reflect Japanese culture and society. Three years ago, she was a Japanese commentator. She offers an incisive, thought-provoking critique of Japanese pop culture.
Sally writes entertainment blogs in her spare time. In addition, she loves exploring Japan and other countries