Democrats have begun turning to social media trends to get young voters plugged into the party and engaged. Republicans, for their part, have slammed these “cringe” efforts.

After the Democrats suffered defeat last November, the party has been searching for ways to engage younger voters and re-energize its base. With no de facto party leader, the party’s messaging has been all over the place, with some members turning to social media trends.

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Some Democrats believe they need to embrace it and get over “cringe mountain,” as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) explained to a group of members.

“When you’re on a new platform, the only way to figure out that platform is to go through cringe mountain,” Rep. Greg Landsman (R-OH) told the Washington Examiner of what Ocasio-Cortez explained. “You can’t avoid it. There’s no way to succeed on that platform, which may be a very important platform, to talk to the people that you want to talk to without going through cringe mountain.”

Influencer and CEO of Girl and the Gov, Sammy Kanter, told the Washington Examiner that she agrees with the sentiment that cringe can be good. She also points out that “not one size fits all ” and leans into “no press is bad press.”

“I do think that trends do work for some Dems, they can be really funny, and sometimes cringe is okay,” she said. “It just depends what type of cringe, I think cringe is a very broad label with a lot of things underneath it, and some cringe is good, and some cringe is bad.”

Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) went viral last month for a TikTok trend he created using the House basement subway that runs from the office buildings to the Capitol. The trend’s use is one of the congressman’s most viewed videos on his TikTok page, reaching over 600,000 views. 

@repsuhas

???? live from the house subway to the capitol

♬ Young Black & Rich – Melly Mike

A viral video posted by House Appropriations ranking member Rose DeLauro (D-CT) garnered a lot of backlash from Republicans, calling the party “out of touch,” when the 82-year-old made a video using Gen Z slang written by her younger staff, opening the video saying, “yo this is the ranking rizzler on appropriations.”

One LinkedIn article by Brand and Marketing Manager Emily Mazurek wrote that “trends spark conversation and participation,” saying they can “help you showcase your brand’s personality. Humor, creativity, and a willingness to play on platforms like TikTok can make your brand more relatable, especially to younger demographics.”

Mazurek emphasized that hopping on every trend is not a “sustainable” strategy, as did Kanter and Landsman, focusing on ensuring the brand is conveyed “authentically.”

Democrats are arguing that you have to be “connected with the culture” to reach voters where they are to get them engaged. 

“You have to be connected to the culture, and you need people on your team who are connected to culture,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner. 

When asked if Republican responses to their posts are effective, Khanna responded, “I think what is effective is speaking to things that people care about and that people are talking about and having your ear to the ground on those issues.”

Landsman and Kanter emphasized that although cringe can be good, members must show up “authentically” to understand what trends work for each member. 

“Is this going to work for your principal, or is it going to not work with their personality? You have to be able to have a good grasp on that,” Kanter said. “I think that’s like a very important tool to have in your tool set when thinking about trends and who they work for.”

Landsman told the Washington Examiner that both parties should use social media to connect with their constituents.

“I would encourage all of my colleagues to do that, Republicans and Democrats,” he said. “I want more people to like have a relationship with their elected officials, so that our democracy is strengthened and they’re more likely to want to work on the issues that people care about, as opposed to what just comes down from on a high from leadership and lobbyists.”

While these videos may be reaching millions of viewers, social media has created an echo chamber for people, often allowing them to see only posts they agree with. 

“I’m not sure any of this matters. It seems like everyone is just talking – or tweeting – at the same people. X and, certainly, Blue Sky aren’t the real world for either party,” Republican strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner.

“I suppose it makes sense they have to do something given the decline of local media in the districts of most members,” he continued. “Instead of pitching non-existent reporters at ghost newspapers, they’re just posting memes and recording shorts.”

Members of Congress are not the only ones using these trends. The Trump administration, former Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign, many governors’s offices, and more have been upping their usage of trends to get clicks and further reach. 

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The White House and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have used multiple social media trends, including those of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, to push back on the administration and its ICE policies in his state. 

Along with their own communications teams posting these trends, many politicians have begun working with influencers while doing different trends to reach a larger audience. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) made a video with Tik Toker HENRYHENRYHENRYHENRYHENRYHENRY to talk through women’s rights, and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) made another video with Gen Z for a Change Deputy Executive Director Victoria Hammett to a trending audio. Trump has invited multiple influencers to the White House, while Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) invited a group of them to the president’s joint address earlier this year. 

Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) has hopped on the “Get Ready With Me” or “GRWM” trend, showing her makeup routine while often talking about what is happening in Congress. This is not the first trend the California congresswoman has jumped on; earlier this year, amongst other things, she made a video about “propaganda I’m not falling for. “

Rep. Jasmine Crockett has a large following of 1.7 million on TikTok, often making videos to trending audios, such as one with a video of Trump tripping, reaching over 800,000 views.

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According to a Pew Research survey, about one in five Americans regularly gets news from influencers, and two-thirds say it helps them understand current events better. The survey noted that right-leaning news influencers tend to post more than left-leaning influencers.

As the talk of the 2026 midterm elections amplifies, it’s clear that social media and content creators will play a significant role. However, whether either party will fully use the new medium to their advantage is yet to be determined. As these influencers lead the charge with trends, political communications closely follow behind.