WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� For weeks, Democratic lawmakers have met with and mimicked figures they believe may offer them a path back to power in Washington: online influencers and content creators.
Hours before President Donald Trump鈥檚 to Congress this month, Senate Democrats huddled with a dozen online progressive personalities who have millions of followers. House Democrats were introduced, without staff, to 40 content creators who Democratic leaders said could help them grow their audience online.
An earlier tutorial session in February featured online personalities like the YouTube commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
The result has been a burst of Democratic online content, including direct-to-camera explainers in parked cars, scripted vertical videos, podcast appearances and livestreams 鈥� some topping trending charts online, others drawing mockery from liberal allies and Republicans in Congress.
But while the Democratic Party is over the path forward after last year's election losses, party leaders agree that, no matter the message, how they connect with voters in the digital media landscape will be key to a political comeback.
Democrats are aiming to double engagement with digital content
More than a dozen Democratic senators, asked about the party鈥檚 digital strategy, pointed to Sen. of New Jersey as the architect of their new push.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen tremendous growth of Democratic senators now. They鈥檙e engaging in the tools and strategies necessary to elevate their voice in a new, changing media market, where legacy media is not the place that people get their news now,鈥� Booker said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just weeks into this, but just by making key changes ... we鈥檙e seeing a massive growth in engagement with the content that our senators are creating, and we鈥檝e only just begun."
Booker said he's aiming for Democratic senators to double online engagement with their content over the next year 鈥� and early metrics have been noticeable. Democratic senators racked up more than 87 million views on content they published in response to Trump's joint address to Congress, according to Booker's office.
But the Democrats鈥� digital efforts also draw Republican mockery
Not all of that online engagement is positive. After more than two dozen Democratic senators posted identical scripted videos knocking Trump's speech, saying he should have addressed the cost of living and his support for billionaire adviser , conservatives mocked them as inauthentic and out of touch.
"They are all actors reading a script," Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns.
There's no doubt that Democrats are playing catch-up. Trump and his fellow Republicans built a digital operation that fed on bombast and celebrity, and it's a strategy they've to the White House. Official government accounts are new filled with right-wing memes, cinematic videos and pugnacious statements.
The Democratic embrace of influencers has also yielded mixed early results. Democrats were ridiculed online after a food and wellness influencer who attended the House Democrats' creators event created a 鈥淐hoose Your Fighter" video collage of Democratic congresswomen for Women's History Month.
The White House posted a video in response that read 鈥淎merica chose its fighters last November,鈥� and the Pentagon, normally known for being studiously non-partisan, posted a video stating 鈥淲e chose our fighters a long time ago.鈥�
But Booker and other Democratic leaders don't consider the sneers to be a downside. Missteps are to be expected, they say, but the path to Americans' attention will require some discomfort from lawmakers.
鈥淚 do think that the caucus as a whole is trying to figure out how we show people that we are real people,鈥� said Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, one of the congresswomen featured in the viral 鈥淔ighter鈥� video. Crockett, whose posts regularly garner millions of views online, said she was used to criticism for her often frank statements and was more interested in combating perceptions that Democrats are 鈥渆litist鈥� or 鈥渞obotic.鈥�
鈥淚 didn't like the jumping, I'm going to be honest, though,鈥� Crockett added about the viral 鈥淐hoose Your Fighter鈥� video.
Trump prompts a more aggressive digital posture
Democrats adopted a more combative stance online in recent weeks as drew protests from liberals and pushback at GOP town halls. Top Democratic digital operatives who worked for the 2024 presidential campaign of then-Vice President Kamala Harris have been in high demand, with many Democrats anticipating close 2026 races in which digital strategies may be key.
Some of the most prominent Democrats across the country have been engaging more in new media since the election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has touted the party's message on progressive podcasts over the last month, including from the comedian Jon Stewart and the progressive outlet MeidasTouch. Clips of those videos were also lampooned online but garnered millions of views.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028, has of his own on which he has welcomed close Trump allies like the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and former Trump aide Steve Bannon to discuss hot-button political topics.
鈥淲e want to make sure we hit the podcasters that normally don鈥檛 have Democrats on there,鈥� said Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat from a competitive California House district. 鈥淭he ones that are more right-leaning or independent, and be able to address a crowd and an audience that鈥檚 not typical for the Democratic base.鈥�
Democrats divide on message vs. messaging
Some House Democrats have expressed frustration that the guidance from Democratic leaders about social media is too vague, while others grumble that leaders are too prescriptive in their approach to messaging on platforms they don鈥檛 intuitively understand. Meanwhile, Democratic strategists have cautioned lawmakers that garnering attention online is secondary to the goal of using social media as a tool in specific policy fights and campaigns.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a fine line before we鈥檙e being cringe and trying too hard and seeming too thirsty. I think the most important thing in any of this is being as authentic and genuine as we can be,鈥� said Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif.
鈥淲hen it comes to authenticity, it also means leaning into what makes each of us unique. Like many of my colleagues probably should not be doing 鈥榞et ready with me鈥� videos. It would look super cringe. But I鈥檓 a 36-year-old woman, and I do my makeup all the time, and I watch a lot of makeup tutorial videos, so it makes sense for me to do it,鈥� said Jacobs.
Some Democrats think that the party's messaging strategy hinges as much on the messengers as the medium it鈥檚 communicated on.
鈥淚f you know how to talk to people, it doesn鈥檛 matter what medium is going to exist,鈥� said Sen. Ruben Gallego, a freshman Democratic senator from Arizona. 鈥淵ou could be the best freaking spokesperson in the world, but if you don鈥檛 know how to talk to working-class people, it doesn鈥檛 matter if you have the best TikTok following, it鈥檚 just not going to translate.鈥�
Matt Brown, The Associated Press
