New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is now adding “Twitch streamer” to her resume. On Tuesday, the congresswoman debuted on Twitch, quickly becoming one of the platform’s biggest streamers. Her stream of playing Among Us peaked at 435,000 viewers. In less than one day, her 3.5-hour recorded stream gained nearly five million views.
It all began when Ocasio-Cortez teased her latest venture on Monday. She tweeted, “Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote? (I’ve never played but it looks like a lot of fun).”
Among Us is the latest hit game on Twitch and mobile. In the space-themed party game, players take on one of two roles, with most being Crewmates and a certain number being Imposters. For Crewmates, the goal is to identify the Imposters, eliminate them, and complete tasks around the map. For Imposters, the goal is to sabotage and kill the Crewmates before they complete their tasks, all without raising suspicion.
The Verge calls Ocasio-Cortez’s decision to play the title “a strategic one.” Hours watched for Among Us increased a full 650% on Twitch from July to August, according to the outlet.
AOC Takes Over Twitch
Join me, @pokimanelol, @hasanthehun, & more on Twitch TONIGHT as we help folks make a voting plan at https://t.co/TskRLfhCt3 and officially declare orange sus on Among Us 🍊
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 20, 2020
Tune in 9pm tonight at https://t.co/nZap5fuerN https://t.co/HeKMeDDjXf
When Ocasio-Cortez first tweeted, popular Twitch streamers such as Pokimane and HasanAbi jumped at the chance. By the end of the night, she set up her own Twitch account, created a gaming setup, and practiced streaming.
After her first stream, Ocasio-Cortez had over 595,000 followers on Twitch. Not only did the congresswoman hit big on the platform, but her gameplay went viral on Twitter and TikTok as users shared clips of the stream.
Maia, known professionally as the singer-songwriter Mxmtoon, was one of many streamers picked for Tuesday’s stream. On TikTok, she shared a clip of the stream where Ocasio-Cortez was chosen as an Imposter and killed her in-game. She recorded and uploaded her shocked reaction, where she happily screamed, “Queen, thank you so much!”
@mxmtoon ♬ original sound – maia
Other TikTok users created their very own highlight reel of Ocasio-Cortez’s first Twitch stream, which often showcased her play-through as an Imposter or reactions to getting betrayed. Many users applauded Ocasio-Cortez and expressed their love for the congresswoman.
@powerpersonified I LOVE HER SO MUCH ##fyp ##aoc ##WorldSeries ##amongus ##mxmtoon ##viral
♬ original sound – aly khan
Twitch and Politics
Ocasio-Cortez is hardly the first politician to use Twitch for campaigning. Previously, Senator Bernie Sanders created an account to stream campaign events and now has over 159,000 followers.
President Donald Trump also has a Twitch account to stream rallies and other campaign events. Back in June, Twitch placed a temporary ban on Trump’s account. They flagged a rebroadcast of Trump’s rally where he said that Mexico was sending rapists to the US, along with racist comments from Trump’s Tulsa Rally.
“Like anyone else, politicians on Twitch must adhere to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines,” a Twitch spokesperson told The Verge at the time. “We do not make exceptions for political or newsworthy content, and will take action on content reported to us that violates our rules.”
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