In bid for young voters, Democrats offer social media influencers access to August convention
It’s part of a critical voter outreach plan in place since President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and extended into the halls of the White House — as Biden combats Donald Trump and his army of online supporters.
Shermann “Dilla” Thomas is among hundreds of social media influencers Democrats are courting to cover the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times file
At a Democratic National Convention media walkthrough of the United Center last month, local content creators and social media influencers were given a private tour of their convention working space: a skybox next to major networks like ABC and NBC.
The local influencers, most of whom do not post political commentary, were told, “If you are posting something critical of [President Joe] Biden or Democrats, you know, knock yourself out,” Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, a popular Chicago social media influencer, recalled.
“The only thing they really said at the United Center was kind of, ‘Give folks a chance to answer some of those questions,’” Thomas said. “‘Since you have the credentials essential to be at the DNC, instead of maybe posting your opinion about a thing, you know, fact-check your opinion,’ or give them an opportunity to kind of rebut what you have to say.”
Thomas is among hundreds of influencers the Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic National Convention Committee are courting. And beginning Friday, influencers will be able to apply for media credentials for the first time in convention history.
It’s part of a critical voter outreach plan that’s been in place since President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign and has extended into the halls of the White House — as Biden combats former president Donald Trump and his army of social media influencers.
An estimated 32% of people between 18 and 29 got their news from TikTok last year, according to a Pew Research Center poll. And a poll conducted by the University of Chicago’s GenForward late last month found Biden has lost support from young Black and Latino voters compared to 2020.
Democrats are banking on a gambit. While they can’t control content, access and communication with influencers will help them reach tuned out voters in huge numbers, especially in key battleground states. It’s also a way to get ahead of critical content — and potentially debunk misinformation.
Thomas, who has 111,000 followers on TikTok and 84,000 followers on Instagram, proudly calls himself a Chicago urban historian and runs Chicago Mahogany Tours, which he said he started because he got “tired of people ragging on the city and not being fully aware of its history.”
He said he plans to use his convention credentials to post videos about Chicago history and also detail the ways in which organizers are spending money outside of downtown.
“Both Democrats and Republicans are courting minority votes. I can’t speak to that for Milwaukee. But how much money is the DNC spending with minorities and women and immigrant cultures here in Chicago for this big convention out here that they’re spending millions of dollars?” Thomas asked.
Despite the potential for negative posts, a convention spokesperson said there is respect for creators to produce their own content — just as there is a respect for the freedom of the press to cover the convention.
Samantha Lampkin, a journalist, media consultant and social media influencer who posts on Instagram, Facebook and X, also plans to apply for a credential. Lampkin focuses on lifestyle posts on social media but also hosts a monthly political show on CAN-TV called “Chicago Politics.”
“My whole goal is to humanize what it is to be part of the DNC from my lens to the average Chicago resident who may just go to work every day or [is] clicking and moving their thumbs through social media,” Lampkin said. “I want to know, why is this such a big deal? Why do we fight for it and that type of thing, like why people need to care.”
Since 2020, the White House has held briefings and roundtables with TikTok and social media influencers. The president has also conducted interviews with TikTok creators, including Daniel Mac, and the White House last year hosted its first Christmas party for influencers.
The Biden campaign recently invited 20 content creators to a fundraiser featuring Biden and former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton that had a combined following of 85 million. They also recently invited a TikTok creator to tour campaign headquarters.
The campaign said it began working with influencers late last year, in an earlier and larger effort than 2020, and it has now partnered with more than 550 creators. The campaign plans to spend millions on those efforts. The goal is to build relationships and create a coalition of outside voices who will have an impact closer to the election.
Influencers will be granted credentials by the convention campaign committee and will have the same access and information that traditional media receives, which will include access to surrogates and VIPs.
In Chicago, the convention campaign committee has hired full-time staffers, specifically assigned to influencer engagement. A convention spokesperson said a team will lead influencer engagement and will work closely with the Biden campaign and the campaign committee’s digital partnership teams. Volunteers will help with on-site support during the convention.
A spokesperson did not disclose how many credentials will be granted to influencers.
Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ groups won a permit fora 1-mile march Aug. 18 past the Bean, Millennium Park and hotels where DNC delegates will be staying.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said law enforcement groups have been prepping for more than a year and have coordinated with 15 public safety entities — including the Chicago Police Department.
Many Democrats argue democracy itself is in danger this election cycle. This danger demands we fiercely defend the right to protest throughout the summer and the next four years.
The city is required to provide police escorts for all convention committee personnel who are “delivering credentials to state delegations and the media at their respective hotels.” It also must provide “special” security for “delegates and other dignitaries.”
Then-Mayor Richard M. Daley “saw this as an opportunity to show a city that does work — not a city that crumbles under the pressure of protesters,” said Leslie Fox, executive director of the 1996 convention’s host committee. “The stakes were pretty high.”
Lollapalooza is typically the busiest hotel weekend of the year for Chicago. But a Sun-Times search shows average daily hotel room rates during the Democratic National Convention may be nearly $50 higher during its four-day stint in Chicago.
Federal and local officials have repeatedly said they are ready for what could be one of the biggest events to hit Chicago in decades. It’s been described by one Chicago police official as bigger than the 2012 NATO Summit and 1996 Democratic National Convention.
“This is just a target-rich stew for the Russians to try lots of things and see what works,” says Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic International Studies.
Trump and Biden face crucial strategic decisions on how to play the conviction. They’ll meet for their first debate June 27 in Atlanta, Trump will be sentenced July 11 and the Republican National Convention kicks off July 15 in Milwaukee.
Inspector General Deborah Witzburg warned that using pepper spray and corralling protesters ‘risks escalating tensions and violating constitutional rights of lawful demonstrators.’
Gov. J.B. Pritzker in 2022 spoke before state Democratic Party leaders in New Hampshire and Florida, fueling speculation that he was plotting a presidential run in 2024. Since then, he’s repeatedly tamped down questions about his presidential ambitions.
Before the Chicago convention in August, Democrats will hold a virtual roll call to nominate President Joe Biden to a second term in order to qualify for the Ohio ballot, columnist Lynn Sweet writes.
The lack of a defined, public strategy isn’t a criticism of city officials. The goal is to show that Chicago can embrace protest and the exercise of free speech rights.
With 89 days until the convention kicks off, organizers and state and local officials meet with the media and woo influencers who could connect with hard-to-reach voters.
Hay talento sin aprovechar que nuestra ciudad tiene que ofrecer, y es fundamental impulsar más recursos permanentes como los que se están construyendo para la convención.
The Southern Poverty Law Center urged Mayor Brandon Johnson and Police Supt. Larry Snelling to reconsider the decision not to take disciplinary action against eight officers connected to the Oath Keepers, six of whom admitted to joining the group.
The Israel-Hamas war is heightening fears of unrest, but convention leaders say they’re confident in their partnerships with Mayor Brandon Johnson, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling and the U.S. Secret Service.
‘The X is the event,’ Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Chicago Sun-Times about the location, which will be the central hub for about 60 agencies involved in designing and implementing convention security.
The group’s report also details the federal tax collector’s performance in modernizing its technologies, the speed with which it answers its phones and the rate it sends out refund checks, among other things.
Thursday will be her biggest test so far when she will be matched up against Wilson, the two-time champion and league MVP, who leads the league in points and rebounds
With property tax bills set to hit mailboxes next week, the median bill jumped a record-high 19.9% across the southern portion of the county, including bills that more than doubled in Dixmoor and Phoenix.
