Can Democrats post their way to midterm victories?

During the 2024 statesmanlike election, @KamalaHQ was thing of an change ego for Vice President Kamala Harris — arsenic Harris ran a buttoned-up campaign, the online accounts shared clips of her group to viral TikTok sounds, shitposted unflattering pictures of Donald Trump, and adopted a sound that was astatine times indistinguishable from the mean 20-something posting astir authorities connected X. It was an effective measurement to rack up likes, engagement, and explainers, but it did not extremity Trump from winning a 2nd term.

The aforesaid group who ran @KamalaHQ announced past week that they were reviving the accounts and rebranding arsenic Headquarters, described successful various places arsenic a “Gen Z contented hub,” a “newsroom,” and “an online media brand.” Headquarters launched connected platforms including Instagram, TikTok, X, Substack, and Facebook, wherever truthful acold it has mostly shared clips of breaking news moments: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show performance, for example, aliases of lawmakers grilling Trump management officials astir Jeffrey Epstein. (Its first grip connected X, @headquarters_67, was derided by some; the relationship later changed its grip to @headquarters_68, and is now @HQNewsNow.) The Instagram relationship has already co-posted content pinch the locally focused Courier Newsroom, a akin left-leaning media marque that is expanding crossed the US.

The effort is simply a consequence to the reality that the correct has spent years building up a contented instrumentality that now has a clasp on the highest levels of the Trump administration, which itself is filled pinch podcasters, trolls, and net agitators. By repurposing societal media handles pinch millions of followers and an established voice, Headquarters is looking to flood the area pinch unabashedly liberal, anti-Trump content. Some of the responses to Headquarters boiled down to “This is cringe.” Many questioned whether a contented hub was capable of a consequence to the lawlessness of the 2nd Trump administration. Others, of course, were happy to spot the memes.

I said pinch Lauren Kapp and Parker Butler, managing partners astatine Luminary Strategies, and Arlie Shugaar, head of platforms astatine People for the American Way (PFA), portion of the squad moving Headquarters, astir their scheme to antagonistic the right-wing contented machine.

This question and reply has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The Verge: This thought of repurposing a run societal media relationship is decidedly novel. How should voters and audiences understand the account? Is it an hold of the Democratic Party? Should they deliberation of it arsenic a third-party contented creator/influencer account? Is it an hold of Kamala Harris arsenic a politician?

Parker Butler: I would deliberation of it arsenic a news and commentary assets pinch an evidently progressive lens. The vice president does not person editorial power complete the content. The accounts are repurposed, truthful they are not the vice president’s run accounts. They are an wholly caller marque pinch a different purpose. Central to that is the nickname that an relationship for illustration this pinch 8 million-plus followers crossed platforms tin person an tremendous effect crossed not conscionable 1 election, but galore elections, galore causes, and I deliberation that’s peculiarly important arsenic we caput into 2026.

How were you reasoning astir what to do pinch the relationship aft the election?

Lauren Kapp: We saw this arsenic a immense missed opportunity if we did not repurpose it. There was specified a surge successful [followers] aft the summons modulation successful July 2024. And while the Kamala HQ relationship is known for its memes and trends, we had an full clipping servants of the state that was embedded successful the KHQ squad and we’re really ramping that up. We’re going to beryllium creating very akin styles of contented that we were connected the campaign, but besides you’ll proceed to spot a batch of direct-to-camera videos of our staffers. The full clipping servants of the state is getting restarted again arsenic good too, and conscionable really holding this existent management accountable connected a day-to-day basis.

How galore group are moving connected the relationship connected a fixed day?

LK: On a regular basis, there’s betwixt 8 to 12 of america who are supporting Arlie. The task is housed nether People for the American Way, and Arlie is going to beryllium building up a team. Then you person [Harris’] team, who is benignant of serving arsenic an advisory position done PFA, and past Luminary Strategies, who is our patient that’s providing the first support for this project.

The extremity is fundamentally to find and create caller talent and to create a talent pipeline done People for the American Way, fixed the truth that Democrats are very down successful integer astatine large. This relationship was thing that I deliberation a batch of young group recovered breathtaking during 2024, and by rebranding it, we’re hoping to person a batch of caller folks that tin beryllium progressive successful this relationship successful different capacities.

Talk astir the benignant of pipeline a small bit. Is it akin to the right’s Turning Point USA contributors, wherever there’s a cardinal statement and past location are group who are connected connection aliases nether the aforesaid umbrella of values and ideologies, who are past creating their ain contented for their ain platforms?

PB: It’s a mix. Part of this is building up the talent pipeline from a staffer perspective, getting folks much successful the left-leaning abstraction who understand digital. There’s truthful overmuch attraction connected argumentation and investigation and a much brainiac style of staffer types successful the Democratic space, but there’s little of an accent connected digital-first, online-first strategy. We want to show young group that this is simply a viable profession way to do this benignant of thing.

We’re besides moving pinch front-facing creators arsenic well. The sanction of Headquarters speaks to what we want to be, which is benignant of a nexus successful the space. The correct is this instrumentality that is perpetually putting retired worldly successful a coordinated way. The near feels often a batch much disparate and disconnected. We want to beryllium that hub for a batch of folks. Whether you’re a creator aliases you tally a page, you tin consciousness like, “I’m being uplifted by Headquarters, I’m collaborating pinch them and they’re helping to turn my presence.”

There was the Wired story past twelvemonth astir a akin governmental group that was moving pinch contented creators to thatch them really to sprout video aliases edit online content. Some group felt misled because they didn’t recognize it was a coordinated thing. Do you interest astir that type of reaction?

PB: There is an constituent of this programme that involves collaborating pinch creators. It’s not for illustration a paid operation. The constituent of this is to audience-build pinch creators. That’s 1 portion of this program, but different portion of it is really the owned societal portion — building up these pages and putting retired contented from Headquarters itself. The accent is little connected benignant of coordinated creator messaging.

What does it return to get attraction online successful the existent media ecosystem? What formats work? What reside person you landed on? What do you spot doing good connected social?

LK: At large, the strategy has to beryllium first and fast. I don’t deliberation a batch of left-leaning groups person the servants of the state group up to beryllium capable to station online quickly. There’s a batch of layers of approvals that forestall group from being capable to thrust narratives, which often leaves group to beryllium reactive versus proactive. [On the campaign] we had a very speedy support process wherever it took, barring objection, 5 minutes, and we are pursuing that exemplary because it worked during the campaign.

Arlie Shugaar: We person ever divided up our contented strategy based connected platform, but the 1 point that we spot really execute good crossed each platforms are clips. I deliberation group really want to determine for themselves and spot it consecutive from the source, truthful that’s immense for us.

Is location thing that you want to do otherwise pinch office than really you did things pinch Kamala HQ?

AS: One of the main pieces of feedback and learnings from 2024 was that it was excessively trendy aliases excessively geared towards definite demographics. I’m really willing successful expanding that scope and not conscionable successful a measurement of utilizing different trends that mightiness beryllium connected different broadside of the internet, but successful a really intentional and thoughtful measurement that speaks to folks wherever they’re astatine and conscionable make consciousness and make judge that they’re progressive successful the conversation.

Will Headquarters return argumentation positions? Will you endorse candidates?

LK: The large 3 for america correct now are decidedly Epstein, ICE, and the system because that’s really what’s driving speech correct now and we’ll proceed to churn retired contented connected that.

I’m funny if you consciousness tied aliases burdened by the Harris/Walz agenda. Do you consciousness for illustration group will subordinate Headquarters specifically pinch immoderate of the stances aliases argumentation positions of the campaign?

PB: It’s not for illustration we’re putting retired a very circumstantial policy. We’re not moving for office. Again, this is an relationship that’s meant to amended group broadly astir progressive issues. We are chiefly a values-based account, truthful it’s little of a “Here’s our circumstantial medicine of this peculiar argumentation connected this peculiar issue,” but it’s much astir “These are our values and this is the accusation that you request to beryllium equipped pinch to travel to an knowledgeable conclusion and to get activated successful this space.”

We spot folks to travel to their ain conclusions and travel to their ain opinions astir things. This isn’t meant to beryllium propagandizing. We are branding it arsenic a newsroom because we want it to beryllium accusation first and little of telling group precisely what to believe.

LK: There were truthful galore criticisms astir really we mislaid the predetermination online, really we didn’t spell connected capable podcasts, we didn’t do this, we didn’t do that, and the vice president heard that and she’s taking a nonstop action to effort to create thing wrong the progressive ecosystem online. I personally spot this arsenic a immense finance successful the space. By nary intends are we saying that this is going to hole everything, but this is simply a mini measurement guardant successful the correct direction.

[Asked successful a follow-up email whether Headquarters would stock contented related to Palestine — an rumor that haunted the Harris campaign and Joe Biden presidency — Butler said, “Our ngo is to clasp Trump and MAGA accountable connected issues wherever they are retired of measurement pinch Americans — nary rumor is disconnected the array for america to talk astir successful that regard.”]

How do you scheme to activity astir the truth that location are Democratic candidates astir the state that aren’t wholly aligned pinch the party? I’m thinking, like, legislature campaigner Kat Abughazaleh successful Illinois. Would Headquarters consciousness comfortable posting videos of her? Would Headquarters station a video astir abolishing ICE? I’m conscionable truthful funny astir wherever you stand, really.

PB: Yeah, I mean, again, that goes to what I was mentioning earlier astir really we spot Headquarters being a nexus of the broader space. We judge very powerfully that successful bid to conclusion fascism, we request to beryllium a large tent. Obviously there’s different factions wrong the statement and there’s plentifulness of sermon to spell astir connected which benignant of faction is amended aliases what person you, but astatine the extremity of the day, we want to uplift the folks successful the left-leaning abstraction broadly. So absolutely, particularly arsenic we get person to the wide predetermination and these primaries return spot aft that, I deliberation we want to uplift everyone crossed the abstraction because yet this is simply a very dire infinitesimal for our democracy, and truthful we want to make judge that the conjugation to conclusion MAGA is arsenic large arsenic possible.

There was a Headquarters motorboat run connected X and different platforms. Elon Musk didn’t bargain Twitter to destruct it; he bought it to remake thing successful his image according to his governmental leanings. There’s evidently issues, for illustration the AI deepfakes. Substack has its ain issues pinch Nazi newsletters and contented that’s monetized. I’m funny if you judge you request to beryllium connected these platforms.

AS: I deliberation that being connected these platforms is beautiful basal to scope the folks that are connected location conscionable getting their regular contented and scrolling. We’re willing successful going wherever is putting america successful interaction pinch folks that want to beryllium reached. We had a Truth Social backmost successful 2024, and I deliberation we are decidedly willing successful going to these places wherever moreover if conscionable 1 station tin amended and reframe what’s happening successful the speech for people, we’re willing successful doing that.

Is Headquarters connected Truth Social?

PB: We are reaching retired to the reps to alteration the username, but yes, we will person an relationship there.

I deliberation portion of the logic why the correct has truthful thoroughly dominated immoderate of these spaces is that Elon Musk virtually bought Twitter to do that, right? X has this effect of taking immoderate rumor Musk cares astir astatine the infinitesimal and creating news retired of it. How do you equilibrium being progressive connected a level aliases extremity posting location truthful that it doesn’t legitimize aliases normalize a far-right platform?

PB: Billionaires are buying hep societal media platforms because they cognize that societal media is crushed zero for wherever these narratives originate. And truthful it would beryllium foolish for Democrats aliases those connected the near to spot that and to say, “Okay, right-wing billionaires are doing this, truthful now we’re going to recede and move backward.” What we request to do is move guardant and get successful the game. We person to conflict back. We request to put ourselves successful societal media. So that’s a large portion of the thought down Headquarters is, we’ll spell anyplace because the benignant of voters that we person to triumph complete and triumph backmost are precisely the type of group who whitethorn scroll connected X aliases they mightiness perceive to a podcaster that astir group connected the near don’t perceive to. And truthful we want to spell everywhere.

How will you cognize if you’re successful?

PB: This sounds broad, but if we are capable to displacement the taste tide against MAGA. There was truthful overmuch speech past twelvemonth astir young group moving to the right. They voted for Trump successful larger numbers and that was successful ample portion owed to taste shifts and what was seen arsenic cool, what was seen arsenic wherever to head. We want to reverse that and we want to show group that there’s a overmuch amended way.

AS: I deliberation mostly we will cognize if we’re successful by making judge that we’re building connected the platforms, the immense platforms that we’ve already amassed, and making judge that we tin support increasing those platforms and springiness group a sizable spot to amplify their connection and conscionable get each the accusation retired there.

So looking astatine followers and engagement connected the platforms?

AS: Yeah.

[After our conversation, Luminary Strategies shared immoderate first figures astatine the extremity of Headquarters’ first week back: It had racked up 160 cardinal “views” crossed platforms, added 300,000 caller followers, and its posts were shared much than half a cardinal times, the patient said.]