From NPR · · 1m 20s
Democrats Win Big, Male Candidates Go Viral
Democratic male candidates' social media thirst traps gain traction after midterms.
In brief
Democratic male candidates' social media thirst traps gain traction after midterms. Democratic male candidates' social media attention reflects party's effort to appeal to men after Kamala Harris lost the presidency. Originally reported by NPR.
Midterm Results Spark Social Media Trend
Democratic male candidates' social media thirst traps go viral after November 2026 elections.
“I'm looking at you, Rob Sand. I'm looking at you, Jon Ossoff. I'm looking at you, El-Sayed”
Tiger Beat Quiz Viral
Manoushka Guerrier created a Tiger Beat style personality quiz matching Democratic men to boy band personas.
“I created the entire tiger beat style personality quiz, complete with the different boy band personas”
Masculinity Debate
Political science professor Christina Wolbrecht links the trend to societal debates about masculinity and age.
“I think it's a function of our kind of society-wide debate about masculinity”
Age Factor
NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll shows majority of likely voters favor new ideas over experience in candidates.
“just ahead of the midterms, a majority of likely voters said they favored candidates with new ideas over those with experience”
Boyfriends We Deserve
Monica Venske's Instagram account highlights attractive Democrats to appeal to straight male voters.
“That's a girly thing to be, is a democrat”
Democratic Women Win
Democratic women won historic firsts including Keisha Lance Bottoms as first Black woman governor.
“Georgia's keisha lance bottoms will be the first black woman governor”
Electability Focus
Democrats aim to appeal to men after Kamala Harris lost the presidency in 2024.
“the feeling within the straight male demographic, if you will, was that it just wasn't cool to be a democrat”
Male Candidates' Appeal
Democratic male candidates gained 50 percent of men's vote after winning 43 percent in 2024.
“this year, the party won fifty percent of the men's vote”
Masculinity Response
Democratic candidates lean into masculinity with weightlifting videos and Love Island spoofs.
“el sayed at one point did a video spoofing love island”
The takeaway
Democratic male candidates' social media attention reflects party's effort to appeal to men after Kamala Harris lost the presidency.
