Democrats are courting Gen Z by inviting hundreds of social media influencers to the Democratic National Convention.
200 content creators had a blue carpet rolled out for them at the event inside Chicago’s cavernous United Center and were invited to film TikTok videos in a roped-off “creator lounge” stocked with refreshments, including Kamala Harris cookies.
For the first time, influencers were invited to the event to document their experience for their millions of followers, and some even took to the stage of the new “creator platform” to give talks.
It’s a move that highlights the importance of the Gen Z vote for Harris Walsz’s campaign and how using the reach of influencers is seen as just as important as traditional news coverage.
In fact, journalists found themselves fighting with influencers for seats at the convention, with just 46 seats available in the press boxes, compared with 360 at last month’s Republican National Convention.
Model and influencer Deja Foxx, who worked on Harris’s 2019 presidential primary campaign, was also in attendance.
An image from Deja Foxx’s social media page shows her at the convention.
Heather Garner, a political content creator with nearly 400,000 followers on TikTok, attended the convention.
Heather Garner, a political content creator with nearly 400,000 followers on TikTok, attended the convention and believes influencers are the future of political communication.
She said: ‘There are millions of Gen Z voters who are voting for the first time,’ she says.
“And they are not getting their information from the New York Times, or CNN Cable News, or traditional media outlets, but from social media.”
Model and influencer Deja Foxx, who worked on Harris’s 2019 presidential primary campaign, was also in attendance.
The 24-year-old spoke on stage about reproductive rights as “the issue of this election.”
She said: ‘Particularly in some key states like Arizona. It’s not just about winning the electoral battle. When we see a combination of attacks based on race and gender, it’s about winning the narrative battle because girls are listening to see what’s possible.
An image from Deja Foxx’s Instagram shows the influencer with a friend announcing that they are organizing a party.
Brandy, commonly known by her social media account @thegenzpublicist, is a 24-year-old influencer from Atlanta who was invited to the convention.
A video posted to Brandy’s Instagram account shows her and other influencers at the convention.
“So content creators, like the ones you see here, have the opportunity to shape a generation’s political understanding in this election cycle.”
Brandy, commonly known by her social media account @thegenzpublicist, is a 24-year-old influencer from Atlanta who was invited to the convention.
She said: ‘I think we’re all on the same page when it comes to politics,’ says Brandy, a 24-year-old influencer from Atlanta.
‘It’s been like three weeks or a month (since Harris became the candidate), so we have to give my sister a break. She has time, right?’
“But at the same time, I feel like the DNC stage will be the perfect opportunity to start laying things out. We saw the economic policy come together.
“I’m looking forward to seeing more and more things, especially what he’s going to do in terms of health care.”
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