Democrats are rolling out the “Blue Carpet” for social media influencers who will be delivering live coverage of the party’s star-studded convention next week to the palm of your hand.
“From day one of our planning, we’ve set out to bring the convention experience beyond the halls of the United Center,” Nora Keefe, Democratic National Convention Committee Director of Surrogate Communications said in a press release shared first with the Daily Beast. The United Center is the convention hall in Chicago where festivities are set to kick off on Monday.
One of the most high profile influencers who will be working his magic on the carpet is comedian and impressionist Matt Friend, a Daily Beast contributor, who performed at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Friend will serve as a Blue Carpet correspondent for Snapchat along with Peter Hamby, host of Snapchat’s Good Luck America.
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This year marks the first time social media content creators will be credentialed like members of the traditional press to cover the Democratic Party’s convention.
“Our Blue Carpet will be an exciting opportunity for creators and media alike to connect with delegates, leaders and surrogates and bring the stories of the Democratic Party to the American people, wherever they’re tuning in from,” Keefe said in her statement.
The planning committee is still finalizing its influencer roster. Several popular creators, like Fred Wellman, Jon Cooper and Elizabeth Booker Houston have said they plan to attend the convention and will be able to use the space if they like. Many of the influencers who have announced plans to attend are vocal supporters of the Democratic ticket.
“Our intention is that the Blue Carpet is a space that everyone can use,” a convention official told the Daily Beast. “The faces and names you will see on the carpet won't just include well-known elected officials, state party leadership, and heads of leading allied organizations, it will be a convening space for the delegates and everyday Americans who make up the backbone of our party.”
The official added that scheduled surrogate appearances will mostly take place between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Central. During off peak hours, convention attendees can use the Blue Carpet as a convenient backdrop for photos.
DNCC officials have been planning a blue carpet in place of the usual red carpet associated with glitzy affairs since earlier this year. The party has been working to modernize its media outreach strategy by engaging with voices young people know. A recent report found that less than half of Gen Z watches broadcast TV and spends an average of three times as long each day on video-sharing platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the ticket has reinvigorated young people, who are now much more excited about voting than they were a few months ago, according to a major new poll that the Daily Beast reported first on Tuesday
DNCC planners say 15,000 members of the media will be covering the convention, 200 of whom are content creators.
