How do you get started in digital politics?
Plus, the Democratic base strikes back as primary season continues.
Most editions of this newsletter have been primarily geared towards people already involved in progressive politics — but what about people trying to break into the space? For all the talk about how much work there is to do on the left, this world can be surprisingly hard to actually jump into.
So for today’s Short Answer, I’m offering some of the advice I wish I’d gotten a decade ago about how to get started. If it leaves you with more questions than answers, I hope you’ll ask them in the comments! And if you’re reading this as a fellow practitioner, I’ll see you in the comments, too, to keep passing on any and all of the things I’ve left out.
Expand what you think of as “digital”
It’s easy to think of “digital” as just posting on social media, because that’s what we’re used to doing ourselves. But in reality, there are a million more ways into the space than that. Between different channels (think emails, texts, organic social, paid ads, creators, websites, apps, and more) and goals (organizing, fundraising, advocacy, turnout, persuasion, awareness, narrative shifting, branding, and anything else you can think of), there’s a nearly infinite combination of needs that a campaign or organization could use support with. And just because you get your foot in the door in one way doesn’t mean you’ll get pigeonholed — you’ve just got to find your way in and go from there!
Go wide on technical skills, not necessarily deep
Even as (or especially as?) AI makes technical needs like coding or web design more accessible, there’s still never enough people with the actual know-how to execute. Knowing enough to be dangerous about HTML, Canva, fundraising and organizing platforms, advertising backends, or whatever other digital tools you can start learning really is invaluable — especially since you never know what a specific campaign or organization will actually need. This is also a compounding skill; learning one tool makes it easier to learn the next, and eventually you won’t bat an eye jumping into a website builder or texting platform you hadn’t heard of until the day before.
Find a sandbox to play in, or make one
The best way to learn (and demonstrate your skills) is by doing. If you can, find a local campaign or scrappy organization that will be happy with any help, even if you’re learning on the fly. Or, start up your own thing! Launching a TikTok account, newsletter, or organizing effort to use as a sandbox and test things out gets easier every day, and it doesn’t even have to have anything to do with politics. Your project probably won’t be pretty at first, but if you learn from it, you’ll have something to reference in the future — whether that’s an artist fan account, a local Facebook group, an active group chat, or something else entirely.
This just scratches the surface
I could ramble on with advice forever. (Subscribe to all the emails and track trends! Get a hobby outside politics! The list goes on!) But really, it all boils down to staying open to new skills, being useful however you can, and growing your network whenever possible.
Now the question is, what did I miss? I’m sure there’s 1,000 things, so I better see you in the comments.
Programming note: Want to learn more about paid clipping? I’ll be talking about how to actually use clipping as a tool this Tuesday at Higher Ground Lab’s AI Open Mic virtual event, alongside some other great speakers! See the full lineup and RSVP for the event here, and I hope I’ll see you on Tuesday, June 30 at 2pm ET!
Reads Worth Your Time
Americans’ economic frustrations are hiding in plain sight online (Dignity of Work)
“New analysis by us – the Dignity of Work Institute – and Upswing Research reveals that discourse among working people, about economic issues, is constant and sustained at a very high level. These topics regularly exceed discussion around the Epstein Files and ICE—and regularly track just below mentions of President Trump, outside of major events like Venezuela and the initial strikes on Iran. On Reddit, they even exceed many of these spikes. Even on more politically-reactive sites like Twitter/X and Bluesky, worker-related conversations sustain a high volume.”
The Democratic Base Is Angry (The Atlantic)
“Across America, the Democrats’ cup runneth over with activist spirit. … But the tenor of all of this grassroots activism is angrier and more desperate than it was in 2018, the last time a midterm election was held while Trump was in the White House. “In 2018, there was a top-down resistance,” Amanda Litman, the executive director of Run for Something, told me. “That hasn’t felt true this time.” Instead, the base has led the way. And base voters are furious—partly at Trump, but also at their own leaders.””
Important to note that this piece came out before the New York primaries this week confirmed just how ready for change the base is!
Influencers: Turns Out, They’re Not So Influential at the Ballot Box (Vanity Fair)
“The debate over how Democrats ought to comport themselves in an unruly online political ecosystem has dominated the continuing postmortems of the 2024 election, when Donald Trump converted his pop culture presence into internet gold via podcast interviews with the comedian likes of Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz. Schlossberg’s strategy was of a piece with the idea that the Democrats had largely conceded online relevance to the right and needed to fight back using some of the same tools—and running some of the same creatures of the modern internet. “Schlossberg is at least the fourth influencer turned Democratic congressional candidate this cycle,” online politics researcher Kyle Tharp told me on Tuesday, “and all will have lost their primary campaigns.””
Americans Have Turned Against AI in Incredible Numbers (Futurism)
“There’s even more evidence that Americans are coming to overwhelmingly loathe AI — despite, or perhaps because, they’re using chatbots more than ever. In a sweeping new poll conducted by Pew Research, only 16 percent of respondents said they believed AI will have a positive impact on society — a number as dismal as the perception of the tech. Meanwhile, 49 percent of adults say they use AI chatbots like ChatGPT, which remains the most popular by a considerable margin, with a quarter saying they use the tools daily.”
Why Can’t People in Politics Just Be Regular? (Megan Burns)
“I want someone who shows up, and not just when the cameras are around for the photo op. I want someone who had a weird, dumb job and trauma-bonded with their coworkers and really truly knows what it means to stretch those paychecks. Someone who has felt embarrassed. Someone who has changed their mind – many times, even! Someone who posted something dumb when we were all learning the internet. Someone who kept going when it was tough.”
Good Posts
Florida Member of Congress Maxwell Frost was excited for Trump to sign a bipartisan housing bill… before he cancelled last minute.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore sets alarms for polls opening and closing on Election Day.
New York Democratic nominee(!) for Congress Brad Lander has a vulnerable conversation with his kids about their tattoos (and affordability).
North Carolina advocate @BullCityAnna shares snapshots of a perfect day and supporting down ballot candidates in the South.
Cool Tools
ActBlue is holding a Digital Fundraising 101 workshop, specifically geared toward “state and local candidates who are just getting started with online fundraising,” next week!
BONUS POINTS: Do you use a tool you think would be helpful to feature? Reply to this email and let me know. I’d love to highlight some community suggestions!