After the Republicans lost in 2012 primarily due to a tidal wave of online funds from Democrats, the party decided to get serious about upping its game on the internet and start tapping the potential of digital platforms to raise money and build a "brand." It was a slow process, but the GOP eventually caught up and surpassed the online fundraising of Democrats.
Now the media landscape has once again changed, and this time, it's the Republicans who have stolen a march on the Democrats when it comes to digital content. Conservatives have developed hugely popular podcasts and creative, committed creators who churn out digital content that overwhelmed the Democrats in 2024.
Realizing they're in trouble online, Democrats are rushing to catch up. But much of the content they're creating is being mocked by Republicans and progressives alike as "phony," staged, and "inauthentic."
Trying to connect to voters in an authentic way is proving to be a lot harder than simply recording content for Instagram. Without a strategy, it's like blowing dandelion seeds into the wind.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is the architect of this new media strategy.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth of Democratic senators now. They’re 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,” Booker said. “We’re just weeks into this, but just by making key changes... we’re seeing a massive growth in engagement with the content that our senators are creating, and we’ve only just begun.”
Yes, more people are seeing the content created by Democrats. But is that really a good thing? After Trump's joint address to Congress last month, two dozen senators posted identical videos in response, saying "he should have addressed the cost of living and his support for billionaire adviser Elon Musk," according to the Associated Press.
“They are all actors reading a script,” Musk wrote on X.
It got worse for the Democrats.
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 “Choose Your Fighter” video collage of Democratic congresswomen for Women’s History Month.
The White House posted a video in response that read “America chose its fighters last November,” and the Pentagon, normally known for being studiously non-partisan, posted a video stating “We chose our fighters a long time ago.”
Note the jumping. Are they trying to be relevant or playful? Either way, voters mocked them.
Hey @HouseDemocrats, we fixed this for you! https://t.co/8j9PzwF7l4 pic.twitter.com/ogHTclsu7w
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 6, 2025
Texas Democrat Jasmine Crockett is very popular on social media for her unrestrained potty mouth. “I do think that the caucus as a whole is trying to figure out how we show people that we are real people,” said Crockett, one of the congresswomen featured in the viral “Fighter” video.
“I didn’t like the jumping, I’m going to be honest, though,” Crockett added about the video.
California governor and certain 2028 Democratic presidential candidate Gavin Newsom began his own podcasting career by inviting on conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon. That's the kind of engagement that Democrats theoretically need.
The reality is that Kirk made Newsom look like an idiot child by getting him to agree on air that trans boys shouldn't play on girls' sports teams. That comment didn't end his presidential aspirations, but now he has to spend time and energy explaining why he changed his mind on the issue.
“I think there’s a fine line before we’re 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,” said Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.).
“When 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 ‘get ready with me’ videos. It would look super cringe. But I’m 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,” said Jacobs.
The Democrats want to be "authentic" in order to appeal to their long-lost working-class voters.
“If you know how to talk to people, it doesn’t matter what medium is going to exist,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego, a freshman Democratic senator from Arizona. “You could be the best freaking spokesperson in the world, but if you don’t know how to talk to working-class people, it doesn’t matter if you have the best TikTok following, it’s just not going to translate.”
Democrats are looking for a magic spell that will transform them from screeching liberal harpies into normal people.
Good luck with that.
