This is a very exciting day! In addition to a fresh makeover for this newsletter, I just finished a new project today which profiles some of the biggest names in online political influence, from both the right and the left.
Over the past week, I’ve been collecting the names of some of the top meme accounts, TikTokers, and podcasters from across the political spectrum, and we’ve put together this interactive list. You’ll likely see some faces you recognize from your own social media feeds, but with how fragmented and personalized social media has become in recent years, it’s nearly impossible for the average internet user to keep up with everyone. This list can serve as an example of what’s out there in the world of digital politics, from micro-influencers to mega-celebrities.
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A Political Who's Who Online
In 2024, influencer marketing became a mainstay in American politics. The White House, Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, campaign of former President Donald TrumpThe Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee have all built huge networks of influencers and content creators. For the presidential candidates, their influencers follow them around the country to rallies and fundraisers, giving them access to their huge following. An entire industry of political creators has emerged, with companies such as Good Influence we work to connect creators directly with the campaigns and issues they care about.
What I love about this list is that it acknowledges how impossible it is to account for everyone in the digital political space. Instead, think of this project as a chocolate tasting, showcasing the best examples of all the flavors of political creators that exist online this cycle. Some are much smaller, targeting specific state legislators. Others are billionaires, like Elon Musk. Hovering over someone’s name will reveal their primary platform, how many followers they have, a description of what they do, and how they’re connected to each other and to the presidential campaigns.
As I worked this out, I noticed a handful of significant differences between the types of creators Democrats and Republicans were willing to work with online. In particular, right-leaning creators tended to reach much larger audiences than those working with left-leaning campaigns and organizations. To me, that showed that Democrats are spending a lot more time scouting individuals who can reach specific demographics that could matter to their election outcomes.
Interestingly, that finding is consistent with how parties have been spending on digital ads for years. Since I started covering this topic, I’ve spoken to a number of digital advertising experts who often note that Republicans tend to target their ads statewide, while Democrats like to hypertarget their ads to specific zip codes. This is just a general trend and not necessarily a rule (remember Cambridge Analytica?), but it would explain the difference in the size of creators’ followers. I guess we’ll see in November whether bigger really is better in this regard!