A social media phenomenon is taking place over on TikTok, and it could have huge implications for the 2024 election.
For the last three-plus weeks, Kamala Harris’ official campaign account has been grabbing the attention of millions of users, posting videos to trending sounds and memes at a rapid pace with a level of sarcasm and humor that feels far more organic than her predecessor. That approach has injected a fresh dose of enthusiasm into the presidential race; it’s making campaign content . . . fun again?
“It has developed such a personality and such a brand that’s an asset to her, and it’s fun to follow, and it sparks joy,” says V Spehar, the podcaster and creator of the @underthedesknews account, which boasts more than three million TikTok followers.
Within a week of Harris’ team taking over President Joe Biden’s campaign operations, the team’s TikTok—KamalaHQ, officially—reportedly quintupled in followers. As of Thursday morning, the account has 3.6 million followers and routinely receives millions of views on each post. It has almost 80 million total likes (a figure that includes past Biden content).
That’s because, according to Spehar, Harris’ campaign is the first to understand parasocial relationships in the TikTok era. “They’re acting as an authentic TikToker,” Spehar tells Fast Company. “They are not acting just as a campaign, which is sort of one-sided.”
The channel, for example, often reposts other users’ videos. The creators behind the original posts may then go on to create even more content (i.e., “KamalaHQ just reposted me!”), which may in turn prompt yet more users to check out the KamalaHQ’s account.
The Harris campaign is also playing into the TikTok algorithm. They’re posting videos with trending sounds and have a reliable pace of videos going up. While TikTok’s algorithm is relatively elusive, it’s clear that playing into trends will get you forward.
“KamalaHQ has done a great job of using current viral TikTok trends and sounds, which have contributed to the viral nature of the account,” says Lisa Arden, owner of Hella Cool Dog Co. and the creator of @allthefosterpups.
A five-person Gen Z team is behind KamalaHQ’s videos, according to CNN. The team reportedly pitches quickly and has set minimal approval standards in order to cut out bureaucracy and help the account participate in trending conversations. When Harris announced Tim Walz as her running mate, the campaign set a video of the two at a rally to an audio clip taken from the hit reality show Love Island: “This week, a hot new bombshell enters the villa.”
For context, Donald Trump’s personal TikTok account, which has more than 10 million followers, often posts videos of the former president speaking at rallies or clips of him meeting popular creators. The account has more than 33.4 million total likes. (Harris also created her own TikTok account, which has more than 4.5 million followers and nearly 27 million likes.)
“What sets KamalaHQ apart from other campaign social media accounts, such as Trump’s or other Democrats’, is its focus on relatability, authenticity, and engaging with younger voters on a personal level,” says Ramaa Mosley, co-founder and chief creative officer of agency Adolescent Content. “Unlike Trump’s dominance on TikTok with a more serious tone, Harris’ memes resonate with the audience by portraying her as someone they can connect with.”
It also helps that people are searching for information on Harris at a rate they haven’t before. In the first few days after Harris was announced as the Democrats’ likely nominee, people were in a collective mad dash looking up Harris’ positions and political history. One of Spehar’s podcast episodes on Harris received 400 times the normal downloads, they said. People in search of more information on a potential president likely went to the KamalaHQ TikTok account, saw fan-cam like videos, and were enchanted.
For creators, the Harris momentum has led to an overall upswing in engagement on the platform. Pro-Harris content has accelerated likes, comments, and private messages, one creator told Wired. Hella Cool Dog Co.’s Arden, who makes bandanas for dogs, says sales for Harris merch has skyrocketed (especially after Trump’s VP pick JD Vance made comments about “childless cat ladies.”) “When I was selling Biden/Harris merch 4 years ago sales were crazy as well but nowhere near as early into election season,” Arden says.
Democrats are hoping all of this engagement turns into voters showing up to the polls in November. CNN reported that more than 230,000 people have registered to vote through Vote.org since Biden announced he would step down. Within that group, 18% were 18-year-olds, while 81% were between 18 and 34, CNN reported.
“I think [HarrisHQ] is doing great as far as being an authentic [TikTok] member,” Spehar says, “but I think it’s also creating a bridge and a permission structure to vote, to say what you believe in, and to find that there are a lot more people who are voting and excited than who are contrarian and gave up.”