The Influencer Vote

In 2023, Goldman Sachs estimated that the creator economy was a $250 billion industry that was on track to nearly double to $480 billion by 2027. It would be a mistake to minimize or ignore the scale of influencers and the significance of their power — and presidential candidates and the A-teams that run their operations are not interested in mistakes.

The White House recently invited 100 influencers to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave for the first-ever Creator Economy Summit to discuss issues like AI, fair pay, data privacy, and the impact of social media on mental health. And at the August Democratic National Convention in Chicago, more than 200 influencers received credentials akin to that of traditional press. From Politico: “they will not only get badges, but access parallel to legacy media, including interviews with VIPs and studio space. The inaugural program comes as the party pitches itself to young voters who increasingly get their news on social media.” This comes just on the heels of Utah influencer Caroline Gleich running for Senate, marking what many consider a new era of politics. As influencer marketing moves to the center of culture, the use of influencers in the Presidential campaign is no longer a niche side strategy, but a central plotline to the entire operation.

It’s not possible for a candidate to ignore the fact of content creators’ leverage — they either embrace it and find a way to make it work in their favor, or they risk losing to those who do. We’re all tired of boring, trite talking head commentators, and we’re also sick of crude, anonymous text-post misinformation. About her Congressional campaign, Gleich has said: “I’m able to connect with people to help solve problems: That’s a big part of what I do as a content creator every day to bring value to people’s lives, and that’s similar to what I hope to achieve in the US Senate.” Not only can influencers be used as effective political tools, but they are somewhat politicians themselves innately: fielding allegiances among audiences and brands, managing the cadence across multiple platforms, and executing diplomacy around central issues. In this war, the soldiers are charismatic, funny, and savvy—with large followings. If Kamala Harris has Jack Schblossberg, then Trump has Bo Loudon. If Kamala Harris has Charli XCX and Beyonce, then Trump is going to try to have the fake AI version of Taylor Swift. The simple fact of the matter is that information does not travel as fast as trends do — and no one wants to ride the horse and buggy when there’s high speed rail.

Wired recently posted an extremely compelling Visual Guide to the Influencers Shaping the 2024 Election, and noted that despite the overwhelming support for Kamala Harris on TikTok, the influencers of the political right include billionaires like Elon Musk and older, established pundits with much larger followings than the mostly young creators influencing for the left. Some Republican commentators surmise that the outpouring of support for Kamala Harris on the Internet is not so much a surge as a “honeymoon” period that will not be indicative of the overall result of the election — others say it’s the most significant thermometer we have for the temperature of the masses.

While we can’t know what will happen in November, we do know that influencers will have something to do with it. There are whispers that the Democratic party is intending to recruit some 5,000 influencers to advance their cause, and given Trump’s penchant for YouTube videos with Jake and Logan Paul, it would not be a surprise if the GOP did the same.

In early August, Fohr conducted a survey of 428 influencers on their inclination toward political content, and our data shows that creators are focused on unity, integrity, and mitigating the spread of misinformation. One influencer said: “An openness to communicate with and about people on both sides of the aisle and issues, political and foreign affairs-wise, is a strong sign that a partner isn't too polarizing.” Most creators we surveyed said they felt the most important thing about political content is the amplification of accurate information and hopeful rhetoric that de-centers polarization. This, of course, is not a universally shared sentiment — plenty of creators have made polarizing content their brand — but we found a vast majority of creators on our platform expressing a desire for more unity rather than divisiveness.

Regardless, anyone with their eye on politics would be remiss to ignore the canary calls of content creators in this time—whether they are distinct in their allegiances or decidedly neutral, the stance of any influencer with a large following will be a measured and deliberate one. If Kamala is brat and Trump is Hulk Hogan, then influencers are the popular vote. Did I do that right?

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