Leigh McGowan Says Democratic Party's Smart For Giving Influencers Access To Candidates

TMZ

The Democratic Party's looking to the future by giving influencers unprecedented access at the DNC ... so says a political influencer who's attending this week in Chicago.

Transcript

00:00What has it been like for you being in there and actually getting access to a lot to the

00:09candidates and to other party members?

00:12Well, listen, I was invited to the convention along with a number of other social media

00:17creators, honestly, because I think the Democrats are smart, right?

00:20They know that a lot of people, for good reason, don't really trust broadcast media and mainstream

00:24media like they used to.

00:26And a growing majority get their news from independent sources like me.

00:30So they invited us in order to kind of meet people where they were, right?

00:34To really get into their homes and say, like, here's what we're trying to say.

00:37Here's what we believe in.

00:38And I hope you will pay attention.

00:39They're looking to connect.

00:41Lee, has there been any tension on the floor at the convention between, like you say, the

00:45traditional journalists and now the news?

00:48We weren't necessarily getting the same access that yourself and other creators are.

00:52I think any newbie coming up, you know, we're like the freshman class.

00:57You don't want to see the freshman playing with the varsity team.

01:00I think there's always going to be some sort of sour grapes, but I haven't seen it personally.

01:04They have they still have their old way of doing things.

01:07They have big studios that they set up in.

01:10It's a really neat way for the Democratic Party to reach out to the American public

01:15in a way that they haven't been able to do in the past.

01:18And I think it's very clever.

01:19Are they inviting people who they know lean Democrat?

01:23Are they inviting people who are who are are they inviting people who may be Republican?

01:29Are they inviting people who are just down the line or is it only people who lean Democrat?

01:33And that's clear from their posts.

01:36I think anyone that believes in human rights, workers' rights, women's rights, that you

01:40should love who you love and read what you want to read and marry who you want to marry

01:43and get divorced if you want to get divorced.

01:45Any sort of liberal minded, open minded, classic American way of thinking falls under

01:51the Democratic umbrella these days.

01:53And so I don't even think you could say it's just Democratic creators that were involved.

01:59You're saying, did we did they invite 200 people that happened to in this current political

02:04moment lean liberal?

02:06Then yeah, probably, because you're going to find most people who are sharing their

02:10feelings online or talking about abortion or dancing are often going to be people who

02:15believe in gay rights, human rights, workers' rights.

02:18What we're doing is we're all reaching our own audiences and saying, hey, maybe you should

02:23be paying attention to politics at this moment in time.

02:26Maybe this is the moment to step up and say, do I have a voice here?

02:30Because at the end of the day, not paying attention to politics doesn't mean politics

02:33doesn't affect you.

02:34It means you can affect it.

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