Election season is in full swing.
For the next few months, we’re pretty much going to be beaten over the head with political ads and arguments on social media leading up to the 2024 election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Of course a lot of celebrities will also be jumping in to give their endorsements and opinions, although it seems that many in the country world are happier to keep politics out of their music and stay out of the election.
There are some who aren’t afraid to wade into the political debate though, and like the rest of America there are country artists on both sides of the aisle.
So what are the political affiliations of some of your favorite country artists?
Jason Aldean – Republican
We’ll start out easy. Obviously Aldean, along with his wife Brittany Aldean, is an outspoken Republican and supporter of Donald Trump, having spent plenty of time with the former president in the past. The couple recently made an appearance with the former president at the Republican National Convention, and have been unafraid about voicing their political opinions no matter who gets mad at them.
Willie Nelson – Democrat
While Willie hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the 2024 election yet, he endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 and supported Hillary back in 2016. Not only did he support the Democrat nominee, he also performed at a virtual fundraiser for the then-candidate back in COVID times.
In fact, Willie has a long history of supporting Democrats, and even filed a lawsuit back in 2004 to try to force the Texas Democratic Party to allow candidate Dennis Kucinich on the ballot. He was also an outspoken critic of Donald Trump during his last administration, so it would be a huge shock if things changed this time around.
Hank Williams Jr. – Republican
Bocephus has been an outspoken Republican for quite a while, though in recent years he’s pulled back on his political commentary. In 2012, he found himself in hot water after calling Barack Obama a Muslim during a performance, and his song “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” was pulled from Monday Night Football by ESPN after he compared Obama to Hitler during an interview on Fox News.
Though he hasn’t chimed in publicly on the past few election cycles, it would certainly be a surprise if Hank Williams Jr. wasn’t supporting the Republican nominee this time around.
Jason Isbell – Democrat
Isbell has been one of the more outspoken Democrats in country music, recently performing at the Democratic National Convention and even saying that he’s trying to “eliminate” from his audience the people who are turned off by his online political commentary and arguments with fans.
Travis Tritt – Republican
While a lot of artists are afraid of speaking out on political issues, Travis Tritt is one who’s made it known that he has no fear of being cancelled and frequently speaks out in favor of Donald Trump and Republican political positions. He also drew headlines in the wake of the Bud Light controversy last year when he announced that he would be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from his tour rider.
Maren Morris – Democrat
Though she’s gone back and forth on whether she wants to be considered a country singer in recent months, one thing Maren hasn’t changed her mind on is her support for Vice President Kamala Harris. She recently performed at the Democratic National Convention, and has said in interviews that she plans to support Harris in any way she can. This shouldn’t be a big surprise, after Maren has always been outspoken on her politics and even had a feud with Brittany Aldean over her political opinions.
John Rich – Republican
One of the loudest political voices in country music is John Rich, former lead singer of Lonestar and one half of the duo Big & Rich. He’s a frequent guest on Fox News, discussing social issues as well as his support for Donald Trump, and he’s quite active on Twitter where he’s not afraid to ruffle feathers with his political opinions.
Tyler Hubbard – Democrat
Though he’s never specifically confirmed that he’s a Democrat, or announced who he’ll be supporting in the 2024 election, Hubbard unfollowed his then-Florida Georgia Line bandmate Brian Kelley on social media during the 2020 election over Kelley’s posts supporting Donald Trump. Hubbard also performed alongside Tim McGraw at Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
Brian Kelley – Republican
You knew this one had to be next, right? The other half of the band formerly known as Florida Georgia Line has been more open about his political beliefs, even releasing a song recently called “Make America Great Again.”
Tim McGraw – Democrat
McGraw is another one who hasn’t said much about politics lately, though he did perform at the 2021 inauguration for Joe Biden alongside Tyler Hubbard. But in the past, he’s said that he considers himself a “Blue Dog Democrat” and said that he voted for Barack Obama in 2008. And more recently, he was critical of Donald Trump’s actions on January 6, calling it “one of the saddest days in our country’s history” and saying that he “didn’t want to give Trump any air.”
Justin Moore – Republican
The country singer from Arkansas has been a vocal supporter and friend of his state’s governor, and Trump’s former press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He was also one of the first country artists to endorse Trump back in 2016, and during a Fox News interview last year he called it “mind-blowing” that it’s considered political to believe in the Bible and the Constitution.
More recently, after the assassination attempt on Trump, Justin took to social media with a post in support of the GOP nominee using the hashtag #TRUMP2024.
Garth Brooks – Democrat?
Garth has always been careful with his public comments, though it’s generally assumed that he leans more liberal. Even back early in his career, Garth made political waves with his hit song “We Shall Be Free,” and more recently he has performed for both Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He turned down the opportunity to perform at Trump’s inauguration, though he cited a scheduling conflict as opposed to trying to make any political statement.
Though Garth generally tries to keep everything “peace and love” and “we need to be united and not divided,” he did take a side during the Bud Light controversy last year, making headlines by saying that his new Nashville bar would serve all beer and calling those who were boycotting the brand “assholes.”
Kid Rock – Republican
This one’s pretty obvious, but yeah, Kid Rock is as Republican as they come. He recently performed at the Republican National Convention, has become good friends with Donald Trump, and isn’t afraid to make controversial statements when it comes to his political opinions.
Natalie Maines – Democrat
Another one that’s pretty obvious is Natalie Maines, lead singer of The Chicks. Back when the band was known as the Dixie Chicks, Maines found herself at the middle of a political firestorm when she said she was ashamed that then-President George W. Bush was from Texas while performing overseas, and the band still hasn’t been able to return to the same popularity they enjoyed before her comments.
Now, Maines seems to be less worried about backlash, and isn’t afraid to openly express her support for Democrats, including Kamala Harris, with The Chicks recently performing the national anthem at the Democratic National Convention.
Gavin Adcock – Republican
The newcomer is a late addition to the list, but because he’s been so outspoken on social media lately, it’s only right to include him in the GOP column. Country music’s wild child has already ruffled some feathers as he voices his support for Trump and speaks out against Kamala Harris, but that hasn’t seemed to keep him from voicing his opinion.
Brothers Osborne – Democrat
The duo of John and TJ Osborne have taken subtle jabs at Donald Trump in the past, including in their video for “It Ain’t My Fault.” And they’ve also been outspoken about their support for LGBT issues since TJ came out as gay a few years ago. But as far as the 2024 election, the brothers are making it crystal clear where they stand after being recently announced as a performer at a campaign rally for Democrat nominee Kamala Harris.
Gretchen Wilson – Republican
The Redneck Woman recently appeared alongside Donald Trump at a rally, urging everybody to vote for the former president in order to “save our country.”
