Kamala IS Brat!

Four days ago, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the presidential race.

He endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris.

Then, Charli XCX tweets: "kamala IS brat".

Once hyper-pop icon Charli XCX tweeted Harris, it marked the start of Harris' "youthful" campaign. Harris' whole campaign has now shifted to a conglomerate of quote "Gen-Z" marketing, posting and changing their backgrounds on social media platforms such as Instagram and X, to fall in line with "Brat Summer", an almost ideology (inspired by XCX's latest album "brat", of course).

Quickly, it has become clear that Harris campaign is meant to engage younger voters, a group which has seen a recent decline in voting. Her social media platforms posted videos of her to Chappell Roan's song "Femininonenon", and has also adopted "Freedom" by Beyoncé, as her official campaign song

Now, what does this mean for the presidential election?

In my opinion, I believe this will engage a whole new audience that was not in tune with election prior to this. Many younger voters, including people that I know, were choosing not to vote, as they did not feel represented or heard by any political candidates. The Harris Campaign has started to utilize the media in a way that other politicians were not. By sprinkling their online platforms with references to memes of Harris (i.e. the coconut tree, context, big sister GENERAL 💚, mamala, silk press, venn diagram, and more), her campaign has become infinitely more appealing.

I also think that this almost joke-like take on her campaign removes the stress level of the election. While it may not seem very apparent, we are clearly voting for the future of America. If the votes were to swing conservative, I fear that we may end up reaching a Handmaiden's Tale-esque society, with the republicans new Project 2025 plan. This upcoming election is an election that will decide the way that America continues to progress, and how new legislations will change the way we rule. No matter how hard people try to ignore it, if Donald Trump and the Republicans win, our society will move back in time.

This is another reason why I think Harris' campaign is so well timed. While she is really leaning into the side of her that exists on the internet (of brat x kamala edits on TikTok, ai covers of her singing songs, CNN even did a breakdown of what "brat summer" is!), it's clear that she support ideas that the youth are very passionate about. She is running on a very clear foundation that is pro-women's rights. Post the overturning of Roe v. Wade, girls and women have felt the control of their own bodies shift over into the government's control. Harris running gives hope for women, to gain some sort of autonomy over their bodies, and they choices they should rightfully be allowed to make.

Her campaign is about engaging the youth, and I believe, it has done so. As Harris continues to rise in popularity, we can only hope that she prevails, securing a safer, more progressive future for America.