Numbers lie at the heart of politics; dictating what party wins the treasury benches, and what party is sent into political exile for another term.

And it’s no different today, in the aftermath of the Kamala Harris v Donald Trump debate.

The word soup, hosted by ABC News, ran for about 105 minutes, was watched by 51.3 million people, and was the No.1 program in the network’s history.

And while those figures were actually down on the first Joe Biden-Trump debate in 2020, it was other numbers – focused on the candidates’ performances – that have filled headlines for the past 24 hours.

For example, Harris won the tally of the best one-liners, it seems – headlined by “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people … and clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that’’.

Claim of the night

Certainly, Donald Trump’s claim that immigrants in Springfield Ohio were eating domestic pets took out the No.1 preposterous claim of the night, despite some strong competition across topics as varied as abortion, foreign affairs and funding.

Trump also spoke more, according to CNN, clocking up 42 minutes and 52 seconds, compared to Harris, who spoke for 37 minutes and 36 seconds – although to anyone watching, the less said might have been a path to more votes.

Harris, Swift and Trump all had major moments in the election campaign this week. Photo: TND/Getty

Party officials are also interested in numbers, particularly those playing out in the homes and workplaces of American voters.

And there, Harris was the clear victor, claiming 63 per cent support, compared to 37 per cent.

Incidentally, that is almost a number swap from the Biden Trump match-up in June, where 67 per cent of voters claimed Trump had won, compared to 33 per cent for Biden.

Key figure

But it’s a number that wasn’t bandied around during the debate that might hold the key to the White House.

The 2020 presidential election boasted the highest voter turnout for a national election since 1900.

And what proportion of the voting-eligible population was that? Just two-thirds, or 66 per cent. And white voters strongly surpassed those of any other racial or ethnic background.

Voters were also older than non-voters. For example, those under 50 made up just over one-third of voters in the last presidential election; 64 per cent of eligible under 50s were non-voters!

Why is that background in numbers important?

Because it was only a few minutes after this week’s presidential debate that other numbers were raised that could fundamentally chart a new direction in this campaign.

Swift response

Taylor Swift, the most influential 34-year-old on the planet, told her 283 million followers on Instagram that she was in Harris’s corner.

Harris, she said, was a “steady-handed, gifted leader’’ and Swift believed America would be better – calmer and less chaotic – if she was in charge.

It’s hard to measure the influence of that one Insta post, in numbers. But we can presume that many, if not a sizeable chunk, of Swift’s followers are under 50.

We can also presume, given the historic turnout at her recent global Eras Tour, that the crowd make-up is as varied as some of Trump’s language.

But Swift was strategic in delivering her support too.

She reminded all her LGBTQ+ fans and those who had used IVF and every single American woman that Harris and her running mate Tim Walz had stood up to protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.

Votes winner

Could Taylor Swift’s fan club swing this election?

Certainly they represent a cohort Harris needs. They are more likely to be under 50, and less likely to be signed up and ready to vote.

Swift, after telling the world where she was lending her support, then turned her attention to the non-voters.

“Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered,’’ she said. “I also find it’s much easier to vote early.’’ And then just to help Harris a tad more, she linked where her followers could register, and where and when they could vote early.

With love and hope, Taylor Swift signed off, calling herself a Childless Cat Lady – a non-subtle dig at comments made by Trump’s running mate JD Vance.

While Swift did endorse Biden in 2020, it was much closer to polling day. But when she did, voter registrations jumped by more than 35,000 in 24 hours.

Imagine the boost that could give to the Democratic campaign. With more than 50 days to go until the November 5 poll, a focused Taylor Swift campaign to lift voter registrations could deliver more support to Harris than winning a second, third, fourth or fifth debate.

And that would be something to really sing about.

This article was originally published by InQueensland