How the Squad Got Re-Elected Using Digital Ads
Four freshmen congress women are pushing the Democratic Party further to the left, and voters love it.
Representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; known as “the Squad” are the embodiment of the changing Democratic Party. They are young, ethnic, female and social media savvy.
At this moment Democrats are fighting to control the Senate. We are waiting on results from Georgia to confirm what will be the future of our lawmaking body of government.
The most controversial on the squad is arguably Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. She is a foreign born Muslim woman who wears a hijab. She is visibly an “other” on the Congress floor where her colleagues are majority white males.
She has seen controversy, not only in her physical presentation but in her commentary that seemed to perpetuate stereotypes about other religions and deeply progressive beliefs. Beliefs that include reallocating funds from defense to education. She is an odd pick for Minnesota, where she is the first woman of color and only Muslim to represent those voters.
"What we seek to do as a progressive movement is to usher in a paradigm shift away from the politics of transaction but one of transformation. We organize to build community, we organize to build a more just world," Pressley said during an online progressive rally on November 2.
As such, they have often butted heads with the more moderate, conservative wing of the Democratic Party, less pleased by their uncompromising stance and what they see as radical, left-wing policies. - CGTN See full article
Regular, often racist, attacks by the White House have also raised the Squad's profile.
Congresswoman, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, is made even more striking online by her battle with alopecia. A skin disease that hinders its sufferers from growing hair. This beautiful bald black woman doesn’t shy away from cameras which further cements her self love and confidence in a climate where doing so raises one’s social capital.
Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, tweeted that between February and November, her campaign made over 300,000 calls, sent close to 260,000 texts and knocked on 42,650 doors in a congressional district of about 700,000 people. She is relatable, accessible and hardworking. Her team uses social media to share updates, connect, and drive her progressive stance on policies.
The most recognizable and often vocal member of the Squad is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. She is the youngest member and hyper engaged online.
Warmly referred to as AOC, Ocasio-Cortez uses digital media like a Republican. She joined a live stream on the popular gaming platform twitch, she amassed over 10 million followers on Twitter. A simple search on YouTube yields results from pop culture podcast to Vogue and serious outlets like CSpan.
What can other Democrats learn from the Squad?
Stand for something
The Democratic Party needs clear goals. It’s not enough to be anti this or that. The strength of far left progressive is their lack of fear around stating their interest. We know what they want. No member of the Squad tiptoes around their progressive goals. You may not agree with what they want to achieve, and from a moderate or right perspective they may seem outlandish, but it’s clear.
Speak to your base
The Squad knows it’s supporters. Find where your base communicates. What they do, where they keep connected and socialize in a pandemic. It may be in a new social media platform, it may be in a video game. The Biden campaign made an island on 'Animal Crossing,' Rep. Ocasio-Cortez played and streamed while playing 'Among Us' with other squad members. They reached the more progressive young audiences where they were. Encouraged them to vote, and earned their vote.
While the Squad has progressive goals they are not legislating in a vacuum. These women seem to be well aware that they have to find common ground to effect change. They demand respect and offer it to the other side. These women use tactics most regularly seen from Republicans and it’s a powerful way to communicate with voters. Specifically these women are on the offense instead of reacting on the defense, which seems to be a victim position that Democrats often take which is not as affective. Voters like to be part of a movement not part of the losing battle. These women are putting an end the “underdog narrative” surrounding the Democratic Party.
Get visible
The Squad is Googlable! Take a moment and try to google your local Democratic candidates… you’re likely to pull up news reports or public speeches filter through someone else’s lens. There’s absolutely no reason for this when every single elected official has access to social media. It’s mind blowing, frustrating, and inexcusable to see Democrats fail to use digital media. By contrast each member of the Squad owns her story by curating her digital reputation. Flourish Media works with public figures to help tell their story online.
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Be intentional
The Squad know what they are doing or they hire people who know better than them. Digital campaign strategy planning starts months in advance. Policies around what to share and what not to share should be part of the campaign process. Voters should know what they are getting by voting for candidates.
Is there a risk to being open with your voters online? Yes, and that is a risk every elected official should be willing to take. If the only thing voters can find online was put there by other people, that’s a huge sign that the campaign is doing something wrong.
Our government should reflect our core values online and on Election Day.
