Influencers are pushing out media for aspiring Democratic politicians

Voters used to say they wanted a president they could have a beer with. 

Now, would-be presidential candidates are chasing that authenticity in a different way: appearing on podcasts, sports shows, and other new media platforms where politics almost takes a back seat. 

“Folks don’t want blow-dried politicians anymore,” Democratic strategist Anthony Coley said. “Authenticity matters and to the extent that any of these candidates can pull back the curtain and show how they think in nontraditional settings, that’s a good idea.”

Or as one Democratic consultant involved in the new strategy put it: “The new test of a good candidate is whether you can just shoot the s‑‑‑ for a couple of hours.” 

Earlier this month, for example, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appeared on Dan Le Batard’s “South Beach Sessions,” where he talked about playing wide receiver, his tumultuous youth and his initiation into military school. 

“They’re playing ‘Welcome to the Jungle.’ They’re flicking lights on and off. They’re beating trash cans with sticks, and they’re just screaming, ‘Get out of your racks! Get out of your racks!’” Moore told Le Batard, recalling his first day in military school.

Moore isn’t the only one. More than ever — and with lessons drawn from the 2024 presidential cycle when President Trump’s campaign heavily relied on creators to amplify the message — Democratic presidential contenders are rewriting their traditional communications and outreach playbook. 

Instead of relying on the Sunday show circuit and perfunctory interviews with The New York Times, they are turning to content creators to tell their stories and reach voters where they are. What was once an unconventional tack is quickly becoming a central part of how candidates race to define themselves in the early stages of the race. 

Former President Obama dabbled in the early wave of social media and sat for sports-related interviews including revealing his yearly NCAA bracket during March Madness.

Yet Democrats, in particular, have been criticized by even their own party members for showing up too late in must-win states and not communicating effectively to their core constituencies, leading some voters to stay home on Election Day. 

“The media landscape is fractured, and the Republicans realized that first but regardless of who got to it first it’s true: You can’t depend solely on legacy media,” Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau said. “You need to be everywhere all at once.” 

This week, for example, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — who is often mentioned as a potential candidate in 2028 — sat down with creators as part of a broader round of interviews he had conducted with national and local press. It’s a strategy his communications team began to ramp up last year and one they’re keen to highlight. In recent months, Pritzker talked to a local food blogger about his wife’s chili during the winter months. 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has taken an approach relying largely on “influencers” or creators outside of traditional media, as evidenced by his tour to promote his new book “Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery.” 

In the lead-up to the book’s launch, Newsom sat down with the popular influencer JoJofromJerz and choked up while talking about his mother — and her journey as a single mom. He also did interviews with Hood Anchor Ye, a creator known for interviewing people in his bathrobe, who asked the governor what he would be doing if he wasn’t in politics. 

In a post on social platform X, Brandon Richards, who handles Rapid Response for Newsom, noted the strategy. 

“9 stops in 14 days, and [Newsom] centered [on] creators the entire way. 18 out of 22 interviews were with creators. 7 of the 9 moderators were creators/independentjournalists/podcasters,” Richards said. “He diversified platforms: Snapchat, YouTube, IG, Twitch, TikTok, podcasts, newsletters and of course IRL.”

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, whose name is also mentioned frequently as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2028, noted on his social media accounts that he sat down with 10 content creators “to discuss everything from food and sports, to raising the minimum wage, keeping our schools safe, and protecting our freedoms and our democracy.

“Content creators and online voices are critical to our reelection and moving this Commonwealth forward — and they’ll always have a seat at the table in my campaign,” Shapiro said. 

Shapiro has also put out his own content, including last month when he interviewed former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers Billy King in a talk that focused on the 2001 Sixers team that featured Allen Iverson and made the NBA Finals, losing to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The governor joked that “you destroyed my childhood” and recounted a story from the 1988 NCAA regional finals when King’s Duke Blue Devils team, where he played, beat Temple, preventing the team from going on to the Final Four. 

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, another 2028 presidential contender, also interviewed former University of Kentucky coach Rick Pitino about leadership but also Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y), whom many Democrats credit with inventing this plain-spoken, more authentic playbook for Democrats, has continued to do Instagram Live feeds where she often chats with her followers at home, in gym clothes.(During one session, which she called “Sunday Yap,” she took questions while knitting a Knicks-colored shirt.)

“See the good thing is this does work as a Knicks shirt or a Mets shirt, “she said while weaving the yarn as she spoke.  

While it seems politicians are trending more in the direction of unconventional media — almost overcompensating in some ways — strategists cautioned that there needs to be an all-encompassing approach. 

“It should be both-and, not either-or,” Coley said. “It’s not just throwing out the old playbook, it’s adapting.”

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