The Zoom Campaign

July 28, 2024

Every presidential campaign comes with a media story, showing the ever-changing ways candidates reach and mobilize voters. In the nineteenth century, it was about oratory and torchlight parades. In the 20th century it was about TV commercials and newspaper endorsements. Recent decades have seen the rise of direct mail, micro-targeted email and Twitter.

This has been shaping up as the year of TikTok, a medium that lets users take over campaign messaging. TikTok is powerful because its “influencers,” who range from inspired middle schoolers to slick hucksters, reach young voters who don’t respond to traditional media. When the memes and themes they generate go viral, as we’ve seen in the early days of the Kamala Harris campaign, voters notice. Then again, 2024 may yet prove to be the year of disinformation, if AI-generated “deep fakes” infect the political bloodstream.

But the defining medium of the 2024 campaign could turn out to be the Zoom call. Within hours of Joe Biden dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris, more than 40,000 people joined a Zoom call organized by a group supporting Black women. More than 160,000 joined a Zoom call Thursday aimed at building support among white women. A call for Black men drew 50,000 and one for Asian women drew more than 9,000. A group called “White Dudes for Harris” expects 10,000 for a call on Monday.

These calls have raised millions of dollars for the Harris campaign, but that’s just the beginning. People on these calls not only hear the campaign’s message, they offer feedback to those running the campaign. They learn about strategies for getting the word out, for reaching undecided or unengaged voters. They connect with each other, and leave the meeting ready to get to work. This campaign medium isn’t mostly about advertising; it’s about organizing and volunteering. And it’s not just about the top of the ticket: This kind of organizing helps Democrats all the way down the ballot. The Zoom call may be new technology, but the actions it inspires are as old as democracy itself: knocking on doors, talking to your fellow citizens, getting out the vote.

Now you may be thinking, “How can I get in on this action? How can I help Harris and other Democrats win in November? How can reach out from my safely blue state to make a difference in the purple and red states where this election will be decided?”

So consider this your invitation. On Aug. 6, MetroWest Blue & Beyond will be hosting a Zoom call designed to put you on the front lines in North Carolina, a battleground state critical to Democrats’ chances.

Those who join the call will hear from organizers on the ground who are registering and engaging voters, strategically targeting areas like Mecklenburg County, where the potential to grow Democratic votes is greatest. They know their neighbors and their communities, making them the most effective campaign messengers. Their target: knocking on four million doors before November. At MWB&B’s last North Carolina Zoom call, we also heard from Gov. Roy Cooper, who made the short list of vice-presidential candidates. On the Aug. 6 call, we’ll hear from NC Attorney General Josh Stein, who is running for governor against an especially toxic MAGA Republican, Mark Robinson.

For more on the North Carolina campaign and to support the grassroots organizing going on there, visit https://swingbluealliance.org/northcarolina/.

The organizations MetroWest Blue & Beyond supports are strengthening grassroots democracy for the long run, not just in North Carolina but in two other swing states, Pennsylvania and Arizona. MWB&B is an all-volunteer organization that handles no money. Secure donations are handled through Act Blue, and you don’t have to donate to join in – there are also plenty of opportunities to give time and energy to this vital cause.

So heed the call and join me at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6. To register for the event, visit https://www.mwblueandbeyond.com/august-2024-event. See you there!