These influencers are helping the Republican National Convention reach the youth vote
The Republican National Convention is utilizing a new method to reach youth voters this week: more than 70 influencers.
Youth Advisory Council Co-Chairs Brilyn Hollyhand, 18, and CJ Pearson, 21, spearheaded the effort.
“Young people don't trust billboards, they don't trust pamphlets, they don't trust direct mail, they don’t trust just TV ads, they trust people,” Pearson told the Journal Sentinel. “If we can mobilize influencers to fight for America, to come to our side, we can mobilize legions of young people as well.”
Among them are former Miss Universe judge and social media personality Emily Austin, Mikel Simmons of Bravo’s “Southern Hospitality” and Xavier DuRousseau, a creator with conservative organization PragerU.
Austin has become a large creator in the pro-Israel community and posts about antisemitism and hostages taken by Hamas to her 2.3 million followers. She also regularly interviews athletes in vlogs and has worked as a host at NFL and boxing events.
“The conservative creator circle is very small and now it's starting to grow,” Austin said. “It's nice to see more like- minded people, because a.) we can make content together and b.) it's nice to have a support group.”
Her favorite part of the convention has been connecting with other creators and conservative figures — at least five people said hello or waved while she spoke to the Journal Sentinel — and she said she appreciates the free range creators were given over their content.
“They want us to just kind of decide what's best for our personal brands, which is good because as much as we all have the same common denominator, we have different audiences like mine is more sports, someone else's is more political,” Austin said. “The bottom line is we're trying to normalize being conservative, because we've been bullied the last few years so badly.”
DuRousseau said influencers help bridge the trust gap between candidates and voters.
“We are able to make the information palatable,” DuRousseau said. “We've gone through all the fluff, we've seen the details, now here is a summarized version from me, an influencer, someone that you trust.”
Pearson predicted the assassination attempt would mobilize young voters in support of former President Donald Trump, in part because of how social media creators like Barstool’s Dave Portnoy and UFC’s Dana White shared reactions to the event on social media.
“You look at that photo of him resoundingly with his fist up in the air saying we're gonna live to fight another day, and I think that is the photo that was heard around the world,” Pearson said.
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Pearson said young voters are concerned about inflation, college affordability and the uncertainty of security amid military escalations, and he hopes influencers will help expand the Republicans' base of voters.
“You have to meet people where they are and a lot of Gen Z especially, we aren't watching TV as much, we're not in the places that traditional campaigns are going to go, and we're often not going to go out of our way to try to hear from candidates because we have trust issues with candidates in the first place,” DuRousseau said.
For Trump to continue courting young voters ahead of November, Austin said Trump should continue “being accessible to the people” and utilizing social media.
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The Democratic National Convention Committee last month announced similar plans to give influencers access credentials in Chicago. The party hired full-time staff members dedicated to influencer engagement, invited creators to their media walk through in May and will provide logistical assistance on site, according to a spokesperson.
Among them are Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan from the "I've Had It" podcast, comedian Matt Friend and popular Twitter account Organizer Memes.
“Creators have revolutionized the way Americans consume information and content, and their innovations will continue to play a critical role in how the American people view not only this election cycle, but every election cycle moving forward,” DNCC Director of Digital Strategy Cayana Mackey-Nance said in a statement.
“We are leveling the playing field between content creators and traditional media, and ensuring that more Americans than ever before are able to experience and engage with this critical part of our Democratic process.”
In 2020 Joe Biden had the ultimate influencer: Taylor Swift
Celebrity endorsements have played a larger role in recent campaign cycles, perhaps most notably when Taylor Swift endorsed Biden in 2020. After she posted a message in September encouraging her followers to register on Vote.org, the site received more than 35,000 new registrations, two-thirds of whom were from voters ages 18 to 29.
She hasn't formally backed Biden again but could give Democrats a needed boost if she decides to do so this fall given the massive influence she holds over her legion of Swifties. Rolling Stone reported a source close to Trump said top allies will plot a "holy war" if she endorses Biden.
The expansion into influencer territory reflects the efforts of both parties to mobilize young voters, who are increasingly turning to social media for their news. In 2020, Biden won over voters aged 18-29 by nearly 25 points.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: These influencers are helping the RNC reach the youth vote