In an intriguing twist to the 2024 presidential race, former Vice President Kamala Harris found herself turned away not just by pop sensation Taylor Swift, but also by Swift’s fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce. Despite hopes for a high-profile endorsement, neither Swift nor Kelce aligned themselves with Harris’ campaign.

ABC News journalist Jonathan Karl delves into these events in his latest book, “Retribution.” Within its pages, he recounts the “increasingly desperate” attempts by Harris’ team to alter the course of a challenging campaign. The Daily Mail recently got its hands on a pre-release copy, offering a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

Initially, Harris’ candidacy was met with enthusiasm among Democrats, especially after President Joe Biden bowed out of the race in July. However, as the campaign progressed, her advisors grew concerned about the substantial lead amassed by former President Donald Trump. Faced with dwindling options, Harris’ team brainstormed unconventional strategies to regain momentum.

One such strategy involved reaching out to Travis Kelce, who, alongside his brother Jason, hosts the popular “New Heights” podcast. While Kelce is best known as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother as a retired Philadelphia Eagle, their cultural influence was seen as a potential asset. However, this attempt at celebrity endorsement did not come to fruition, leaving Harris’ campaign to seek other avenues to capture the public’s attention.

So they decided to think outside the box. 

Karl reported that Harris’ team reached out to the New Heights podcast helmed by Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and his brother Jason, a retired Philadelphia Eagle. 

‘The Kelce brothers, however, rejected the offer, even though Travis’s girlfriend, Taylor Swift, had endorsed Harris weeks earlier,’ Karl wrote. ‘Their producer explained they do sports, not politics.’ 

Swift’s endorsement of Harris – which came following her strong debate performance against Trump on September 10 – had surprised the vice president’s campaign team. 

A new book reveals that former Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign had pitched her appearing on Jason Kelce (left) and brother Travis Kelce’s (center right) New Heights podcast after Taylor Swift (right) endorsed her – but the offer was rejected 

Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (right) appeared at a watch party at Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier after her September 2024 debate against President Donald Trump and shortly after she was endorsed by pop star Taylor Swift 

‘Neither Harris nor anyone on her campaign had any idea Swift’s endorsement -arguably the biggest one she could get – was coming,’ Karl wrote. 

Jonathan Karl’s new book Retribution reveals that Kamala Harris’ campaign reached out to Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast in an attempt to shake up the 2024 presidential race

‘If they had, they would have asked her to hold off for a day or two,’ he continued. ‘Coming when it did, the news could only do one of two things: get buried by Harris’ dominant debate performance or distract from it.’

As Harris headed to Philadelphia’s Cherry Street Pier to address supporters at a watch party, her campaign quickly had to decide how she should handle the Swift news. 

They did so with just a slight nod. 

Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff exited the stage to Swift’s ‘The Man.’ 

The crowd ate it up – with the expectation that Swift would eventually join the Democratic nominee on the campaign trail, maybe even help her in the pivotal swing state of Pennsylvania, where the pop star was born and spent her early years.

But Swift never showed. 

‘The Harris campaign team tried to reach out to the pop star. Maybe she could appear in a campaign ad? Maybe she could perform at a campaign event? There were many possibilities – after all, Swift was massively popular with an important group of voters who could help Harris win the election: young women,’ Karl wrote.

Taylor Swift surprised the Harris campaign by endorsing her directly following her September 10 debate against President Donald Trump. Karl wrote in his book that had the campaign known the endorsement was coming, advisers would have asked the pop star to delay it  

On the eve of the election, Vice President Kamala Harris (center left) appeared at a Philadelphia rally with celebrities including Oprah Winfrey (left) with a performance by Lady Gaga (right), but Taylor Swift never joined any of Harris’ campaign events

‘But the Harris campaign got no answer,’ he continued. ‘They couldn’t even get a response from Taylor Swift’s spokesperson, Trina “Tree” Paine, sending her several messages but never receiving an answer.’

Paine did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment. 

In the book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, journalists Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf wrote that Emhoff, who was a prominent Los Angeles-based entertainment lawyer, had tried to use his connections to get Swift involved in his wife’s campaign. 

‘Swift proved to be a special challenge. Staffers who worked on celebrity appearances were instructed not to make any outreach to her universe; Doug Emhoff was handling it,’ the authors wrote. 

Emhoff reached out to Swift’s lawyer, Doug Baldridge, as they were both partners at the law firm Venable, to ‘convey that the campaign would appreciate any efforts the pop star could make to help Harris.’ 

In a brutal seven-word rejection, Baldridge said: ‘Swift would do what Swift thought best.’ 

Swift has never publicly explained why she decided not to join Harris at any campaign appearances. 

Karl’s book Retribution will be released Tuesday.