Congress

Inside the Democratic Battle to Go Viral

“We’ve gone from addition to multiplication,” Sen. Cory Booker told NOTUS of Democrats’ social media presence. “We need to do string theory.”

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Sen. Cory Booker and Sen. Ed Markey make a TikTok video after a press conference. John McDonnell/AP

By Riley Rogerson and Oriana González

March 3, 2025 05:00 AM

Days before Election Day last year, Sen. Cory Booker went to then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with a problem.

“We’re way behind,” Booker told Schumer.

Republicans were dominating podcasts and social media. While the likes of Joe Rogan were supercharging Republican rhetoric, Booker showed Schumer that online engagement for Senate Democrats was comparatively “anemic.”