On Capitol Hill, Roger Marshall is sporting Chiefs’ red. And listening to ‘Tay Tay’
Sen. Roger Marshall likes the Kansas City Chiefs’ chances against the San Francisco 49ers heading into the Super Bowl on Sunday.
There’s Coach Andy Reid. There’s Patrick Mahomes. There’s Travis Kelce.
But, most importantly, Marshall said, the Chiefs have “Tay Tay.”
“I’ve got Taylor Swift’s playlist here,” Marshall, a Kansas Republican, told The Star at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.
“I’ve been playing it all week, getting to know her music. It’s really good. I like a couple of them, especially the song called ‘Mean.’ It’s kind of got a little country western beat to it.”
If the Capitol is seeing red, it’s not just partisan politics – it’s because Marshall is the Chiefs Kingdom bandleader. He can often be seen wearing a Chiefs tie or, when he really wants to wear red, a Chiefs starter jacket. He dismisses the fringe conspiracy theory that Swift and Kelce are a psychological operation launched by the government to get President Joe Biden reelected.
But this year, Marshall might have to cheer on Reid, Mahomes, Kelce and, yes, Tay Tay, from the Capitol. After a bipartisan deal to provide military aid to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel and enhance border security fell apart earlier this week – with Marshall helping to lead the charge – the Senate will spend the weekend considering a proposal to provide the military aid without any border provisions.
Marshall, who opposes the aid package, will try with conservative colleagues to spend the weekend delaying the Senate passage of the bill.
“It looks like we’ll be watching it here,” Sen. Josh Hawley said of the Super Bowl. “But hopefully [I’ll watch it] with my boys.”
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, also opposes the Ukraine funding package. And while he may be spending the week at the Capitol, he thinks the Chiefs will win by 10.
He declined to share his thoughts on the Swift-Kelce romance.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, Missouri’s junior Republican, is happily supporting the couple and thinks the Chiefs will win by 7 points, 27 to 20. “I love great American romance,” Schmitt said.
He attended Swift’s Eras Tour with his daughter, where he wore a shirt that read “It’s me, hi, I’m the Dad it’s me.”
While the senators will likely be stuck in Washington, the Kansas and Missouri House members will be able to watch the game from home.
The two Kansas City-area Democratic members from the delegation – Rep. Emanuel Cleaver and Rep. Sharice Davids, have friendly wagers on the game.
Cleaver, on the Missouri side, made a snarky video announcing his bet against Rep. Ro Khanna, a Silicon Valley Democrat. If Chiefs win, Cleaver gets See’s Candies, known for its chocolates. If the 49ers win, Khanna gets barbecue (Cleaver is a Gates guy).
Davids, on the Kansas side, will also get See’s Candies if she wins. She bet Rep. Eric Swalwell, an East Bay Democrat.
None of the Republicans have made any wagers so far, but Rep. Mark Alford, a Missouri Republican, made a speech on the House floor in front of a large poster that said “Super Bowl Bound.”
“The haters and naysayers said the Chiefs couldn’t win on the road,” Alford said. “They said the Ravens defense would stifle Patrick Mahomes. They said we couldn’t stop Lamar. They even said Travis Kelce would be too focused on Taylor and not on football. Well, Mr. Speaker, shake it off!”
Alford also posted a video hanging a Chiefs flag in his Washington office while Swift’s “You Belong With Me” played in the background.
It is unclear if “You Belong With Me” is on Marshall’s Swift playlist. But he didn’t seem too bothered that he might have to watch the game in between votes at the Capitol – he normally watches the Chiefs alone.
“Last Super Bowl I watched by myself,” Marshall said. “I don’t want to cuss in public.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 3:47 PM.
