The WIRED Hotties for Harris After-Party: Afternoons at the DNC in Chicago with Barack Obama and the Associated Artists
It’s the Democratic National Convention! This week in Chicago, it means nonstop events, speeches, parties, and networking for politicians, delegates and journalists.
I’ve been on the ground covering it with my colleague, senior security writer Dhruv Mehrotra (More from Dhruv below). Some of the events have been expected: Barack Obama’s speech, organizing seminars, and caucus meetings. Some people feel like the hotties for Harris after-party is more similar to a convention than a political event.
The Democratic National Convention organizers really rolled out the blue carpet for influencers this year. Today on the show, WIRED senior reporter Makena Kelly joins from Chicago to talk about the Democrats’ strategy of favoring creators over journalists, and whether it will help them win votes. The behind- the-scenes of the after-parties are also included.
After Barack Obama finished his speech at the DNC, many of the creators and commentators streamed their way into the after-party, which was one of the week’s largest.
Hundreds of guests were greeted by bright neon lights that read “Hotties for Harris,” before entering what honestly felt like the Museum of Ice Cream but for liberals living out their 2008 fantasy with a 2024 twist. There was an arcade room with abortion access and a wall of “Hotties” with pictures of Democratic and Republican leaders.
The creators danced and mingled in front of a stage with Taylor Swift songs playing from the DJ booth, and they all had the same faces. The two signature cocktails were called the “Madam President’s SpicyRita” and “A Walz on the Beach,” and were designed for people who can’t handle the heat.
I watched as Claudia Conway, daughter of former Donald Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, tried to snag a plushie from a “grab them by the pussy”–themed claw game while other attendees filmed themselves breakdancing in the arcade. Some of the older creators, like Pearlmania500, spent a lot of time outside the venue chatting up people they’ve met this week.
The excitement at the Hotties for Harris party would not have happened with Joe Biden as the nominee, said Emma Mont, an admin of the OrganizedMemes X account.
The night was hosted by a number of creators and funded by Investing in US, an investment firm that is funded by the founder of professional networking website LinkedIn.
The man is Joe Biden. Tonight, the event will come to a close with the announcement of the next speaker, Kamala Harris. But unlike in conventions past, every night has also featured influencers. People like content creator and abortion rights activists, Deja Foxx.
Leah Feiger: 200 other content creators are attending and posting, all invited by the DNC, to connect with young voters and they hope help Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump. Joining me from Chicago to talk about what’s going on at the DNC is WIRED senior reporter, Makena Kelly. How’s it going, Makena?
Makena Kelly. I was out until 2 am last night. The last thing on my schedule was from 10:00 to 2:00 AM and it was a party called Hotties for Harris, and it was thrown, it wasn’t-
The DCNC is officially the Influencer Convention – Join the WIRED Politics Lab for an exclusive podcast a la Makena Kelly
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