Walz plays 'Madden' with AOC on Twitch as Harris, Trump vie for support from young men
Ahead of Election Day, Harris is leveraging gaming platforms and campus outreach, while Trump courts young men through football, UFC events and podcasts.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic nominee for vice president, and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez teamed up to play the Madden NFL videogame on the livestreaming platform Twitch on Sunday.
The online appearance, just over a week from Election Day, was the latest effort by Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign to compete with her Republican rival, former president Donald Trump, for the support of young, male voters. It comes just days after Trump sat down for a three-hour interview with Joe Rogan, the popular podcaster who boasts an audience largely composed of young men.
Here’s a breakdown of how each campaign is targeting this particular demographic, whose backing, polls suggest, could be vital to victory.
How the candidates poll with young men
Recent polling reveals a complex landscape for Harris among young voters in general. A Yale University poll shows her leading Trump by over 20 points among registered voters under 30. However, the data highlights a gender divide — while Harris holds a 32-point lead among young women, her lead narrows to just five points with young men.
Further research mirrors this trend. The latest Harvard Youth poll, for example, shows Harris having a 47-point advantage among young female voters under 30, yet that figure drops to a 17-point lead among young male voters.
Adding to the nuance, a GenForward survey from the University of Chicago, conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6, shows significant gaps among young men of color. In this group, 44% of young Latino men and nearly a quarter of young Black men express support for Trump over Harris.
Trump and Vance: Sports and social media influencers
Trump’s campaign has leaned into its appeal among young male subcultures online. He’s made high-profile appearances at football games and Ultimate Fighting Championship events, and has garnered endorsements from popular alpha-male personalities like Jake Paul, Andrew Schulz, Dave Portnoy, the NELK Boys and Theo Von, whose interview with Trump amassed over 14 million views on YouTube.
Trump’s outreach strategy has also included zeroing in on specific issues and platforms that resonate with young men, including voicing support for cryptocurrency and vaping during lengthy sit-downs like his recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience and livestream with Twitch star Adin Ross.
He has also aligned himself with popular figures known for success outside of traditional politics — like Dana White, CEO of the UFC, former NFL star Brett Favre and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has also become popular with young male voters. Known for his controversial statements about “childless cat ladies” or past comments that parents should have more voting power, Vance has become a “reliable defender” of Trump’s record and vision for the future, reports CBS News.
Harris and Walz: Colleges, podcasts and gamers
To mobilize young voters, Harris and Walz committed to visit 150 college campuses through their “Back-to-School” initiative. The plan incorporated on-campus advertising and social media outreach, student organizing and student-led brainstorm sessions.
But the Harris-Walz team has also sought to hone in on reaching young men through various media appearances as well.
Earlier this month, Harris participated in a town hall with radio host Charlamagne Tha God, while Walz engaged sports audiences in an interview with commentator Rich Eisen.
Sunday’s Twitch appearance by Walz and Ocasio-Cortez comes days after the Harris campaign launched targeted ads on gaming platforms and sites like Yahoo Sports, DraftKings, IGN and Fandom, all popular among male audiences.
Over the weekend, Harris visited a barber shop in West Philadelphia to speak to a group of young Black men, who her campaign is also working hard to energize.