The 2024 US Presidential Elections are getting much closer each day. A growing trend in election campaigns now is through social media, particularly on TikTok with its 170 million US daily users.
However, with the looming nationwide ban on the app, a divide is showing in the lawmakers using the platform for their politics.
(Photo : Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)
Also Read: TikTok Ban and the US Government: A Case of Restrictions, State Control, and Espionage Fears
Joe Biden, Kamala Harris
During the Super Bowl LVIII, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris first dipped their toes into TikTok as a way to get close to 170 million Americans using the video-sharing app.
Since then, the @bidenhq account has amassed 264,700 followers and over 3 million likes.
Majority of the account's videos, either to promote the administration's projects or to throw shade at his main competitor Donald Trump, usually
Despite using the platform ahead for his presidential re-election campaign, Biden endorsed the proposed nationwide ban on the app, saying that he would sign it if it passed Congress.
Related Article: Biden, Harris Bring Reelection Campaign to TikTok, Fish Young Voters
Jeff Jackson
With 2.3 million followers on TikTok, North Carolina Rep. Jeff Jackson used the platform to build his campaign from young voters for his bid for a position in Congress last election.
The Democrat leader gained a mass following even after being elected for providing insights within Congress to promote transparency in the government.
Jackson, who is currently running for Attorney General, voted in favor of banning TikTok last week because he thinks that it is unlikely that the app will actually be banned in the US.
Jackson later apologized in another video but reiterated that he only cast his vote against the app due to the app "potentially being controlled by an adversarial government."
@jeffjacksonnc Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC): TikTok #politics #fyp #nc #charlotte #raleigh #greensboro #durham ♬ original sound - Jeff Jackson
Jamaal Bowman
A congressman from New York's 16th District, Rep. Jamaal Bowman is among the Democrats who joined TikTok to push his campaign among its US users.
With Bowman currently running against another Democrat for the 16th District seat, the lawmaker has been notably ramping up his posts on the video-sharing app.
Bowman was among the 65 representatives who voted against the ban bill on the app, in contrast to the 352 politicians who threw their support on it.
The rush to ban TikTok sets a dangerous precedent for our country by undermining our freedom of speech, which is why I voted against H.R. 7521.
— Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) March 13, 2024
We need a holistic approach to address the harms of all social media, not a reactive bill targeting one platform.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez first became a notable figure as part of "The Squad," an informal group of eight Democratic women in the US House of Representatives.
Counting herself among millennials, the NY 14th District representative took it to social media to secure her position in Congress. Among those was TikTok, wherein the congresswoman gained nearly 1 million followers.
Like Bowman, Ocasio-Cortez was among the few Democrats who retained their decision to vote against the TikTok ban bill, claiming the legislation to be "incredibly rushed."
I’m voting NO on the TikTok forced sale bill.
This bill was incredibly rushed, from committee to vote in 4 days, with little explanation.
There are serious antitrust and privacy questions here, and any national security concerns should be laid out to the public prior to a vote.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 13, 2024
The New York representative earlier declared to have no intentions yet to run for Senate this year.
Bernie Sanders
The senator from Vermont first gained mass exposure on social media during the 2016 US Presidential Elections.
Since then, Sen. Bernie Sanders has used various online platforms to push for his campaign, including TikTok where he has 1.4 million followers.
Although Sanders has yet to file for re-election this year, his allies seem to hint that the senator is not done yet in the world of politics. And his TikTok posts seem to indicate the same.
Unlike other politicians, Sanders gave vague answers regarding the Biden administration's push for Beijing-based ByteDance to divest from TikTok's US division, focusing on its impact on children's mental health rather than supposed threats from China.
The senator has also been noted before for not giving insights regarding TikTok even prior to the bill's passing.
