Coconut trees, chartreuse green and 'Brat' politics

Since the start of an unprecedented presidential campaign in late July, Democratic Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris has repeatedly gone viral online. Kickstarted by British singer Charli XCX's tweet "kamala IS brat," and now with over 4 million followers on Tiktok, Harris' campaign platform is utilizing social media trends to reach out to the crucial 41 million Gen Z voters across the country. 

Hopping onto #bratsummer, a trend based on Charli XCX’s hit album, Harris's campaign gained attention for changing their social media to resemble the album cover and promoting a large collection of merchandise online featuring Harris and the now iconic chartreuse green. Rather than creating typical political ads that focus on policy, this unconventional marketing strategy of diving into online trends has helped make Harris's policies more relevant to Gen Z. With this strategy, Harris is attempting to bring back the young voters who faced voter apathy when Joe Biden was on the presidential ticket. Before Harris became the presidential candidate, the Harvard Youth Poll estimated that voter turnout in younger generations would be lower compared to the 2020 presidential elections. Now, the younger candidate fueled by viral memes has made many citizens reconsider whether to vote in November. Luke Shimahara ('26) gave his take on the online trends featuring Harris. 

“I feel that the viral trends that Harris’s social media account has been posting has been a really smart campaign move,” he said. “I definitely also think it increases political engagement, and by doing social media it opens [politics] up to the youth of today. I think it's a funny account, not only relevant to politics, but they do it well where it's not cringey and on theme.”

Art by Raha Ghoroghchian

Both presidential candidates are also leaning into support from influencers. At the Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in August, more than 200 content creators were given press credentials for the first time. Some of these influencers, many in their twenties, were given the opportunity to speak at the DNC. These influencer programs are part of a new grassroots strategy to connect with the millions of young eligible voters that follow these content creators. History Teacher Margaret Colburn provided thoughts on the success of the strategy.

"I don't think it's the campaign itself doing the majority of the appealing," Colburn said. "Older Gen. Zs seem to be taking the lead here — they're taking advantage of something that came organically. [But anyone] to inspire a member of the younger generation to be politically active is good."