It’s Democratic National Convention Week! For all the politicians, delegates, journalists, and influencers in Chicago this week, that means days of nonstop events, speeches, parties, and networking.
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. But others feel more like Vidcon events than political ones, like the highly-anticipated Hotties for Harris after-party on Tuesday night.
Let’s talk about it.
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“They’re Fresh and They’re More Interesting”
After Barack Obama finished his prime-time DNC address Tuesday night, influencers and content creators streamed their way into what was expected to be one of the week’s largest convention after-parties.
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. Content creation opportunities abounded: There was a couch that took a jab at JD Vance, a “wall of weirdos” with portraits of Republican leaders, a wall of Dem “Hotties” that include Kamala Harris and Travis Kelce, a dance floor, an arcade room featuring “abortion access Skee-Ball,” and a feminist mini golf course.
For hours, creators danced and mingled in front of a stage flashing the faces of Harris and Tim Walz with Charli XCX and Taylor Swift songs ringing out from the DJ booth. There were also two signature cocktails called the “Madam President’s Spicy ‘Rita” and “A Walz on the Beach,” for “folks who can’t handle the spice.”
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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.
“This wouldn’t have happened with Joe Biden as the nominee,” Emma Mont, an admin of the OrganizerMemes X account, said about the palpable excitement at the Hotties for Harris party.
The night was hosted by a handful of creators and funded by Investing in US, an investment firm funded by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, with the goal of encouraging difficult-to-reach audiences and young people to vote.
The DNC marks the first time that creators were credentialed to cover the convention as part of the Democratic Party’s overall strategy for reaching young voters. Two hundred creators received credentials, and the Hotties for Harris event was only one of the many happy hours and after-parties set up for creators to hang out, and most importantly, make content.
“This is the future. It's not just the future because this is how you reach a lot of young voters. It's the future because they're fresh and they're more interesting, and they don't just want to talk about the horse race, and they don't just want to talk about who insulted who,” says Representative Ro Khanna, who spoke to me about his interviews with creators. “They want to talk about actual issues and actual vision.”
Khanna is all in on the creators. On Tuesday afternoon, I followed the congressman around as he spoke with some of them. At first, Khanna went up to “Video 24” the broadcast studio, similar to the ones belonging to CNN or Fox News, dedicated to creators. He was greeted there by Phillip DeFranco, an OG news YouTuber, who was filming videos and interviews that would run on his channel later this week. He then spoke with Hasan Piker, both in the studio and during a “walk and talk” as the congressman made his way to the convention floor.
After the interview, I spoke with Piker about his experience covering the convention thus far. Though I reported earlier this week on how some journalists were upset over the access and amenities provided to creators, some influencers also faced their own logistical challenges at the beginning of the week.
“They were very accommodating after I was able to communicate to them what I'm trying to do. This morning, we had to literally pull a direct line of Ethernet cables into the creator lounge upstairs,” says Piker. “I basically took over. I'm occupying the creator lounge right now and doing like an eight- to 10-hour livestream from there.”
But while a handful of creators are scoring interviews with political leaders, some members of the press fear they’re being replaced, especially as Harris critics call her out for not yet sitting down for a full media interview.
“I think you need to have both. I think there's very smart, responsible journalism on television and in print that have deep knowledge and challenge people,” says Khanna. “That's important. And I think that there are people on podcasts and content creators who also challenge people in different ways, and that's important.”
For now, though, as the Harris campaign takes its DNC-fueled victory lap around Chicago, it’s obvious that while this was only the first creator-focused convention, it likely won’t be the last.
The Chatroom
I'm Dhruv Mehrotra, a senior writer at WIRED on the security desk. This week, I'm at the DNC using my phone and some extra equipment to track and analyze wireless signals to find out whether police are deploying any invasive surveillance technology against demonstrators.
On Monday afternoon, as thousands of protesters prepared to march toward the Democratic National Convention to protest Israel’s deadly siege of Gaza, hundreds of law enforcement officers from federal, state, and local agencies were waiting. Chicago police lined the approved route on their bikes, while a Chicago Police Department (CPD) helicopter hovered, monitoring the crowd from above. Farther down the planned route, I saw Secret Service agents as well as other Department of Homeland Security officers observing the situation.
The march began peacefully, but by around 4:30 pm tensions escalated when a small group of protesters breached the first of two anti-scaling fences that made up part of the DNC’s security perimeter. As some tore down sections of the fencing, others climbed into the perimeter, facing off with law enforcement behind the second fence line. Officers began photographing protesters breaking through the perimeter—which could possibly be used later in conjunction with facial recognition technology. Meanwhile, a CPD helicopter circled low overhead, at times as low as 650 feet, according to flight data. CBS later reported that 13 arrests had been made on the first day of the convention.
Over the course of the day, I detected signals from hundreds of devices associated with Taser International, now known as Axon. These devices could be police body cameras or tasers. I also recorded signals from two devices apparently associated with Skydio, a company known for making drones for police use. However, it isn’t immediately clear which agency was operating them.
Last night, I covered the protest outside the Israeli consulate. Again, I noticed Chicago police filming protesters with their phones, this time zooming in on their faces. I’ve asked the CPD how they plan to use these photos but haven’t received a response. About 70 people were arrested at the Israeli consulate protest, including two who identified as press.
The DNC is almost over, and there are still more protests to come—follow me and WIRED to stay up to date with what happens. What types of police technology worry you the most when used during protests?
Send me an email at dhruv_mehrotra@wired.com, or reach out on X, or Bluesky @dmehro. Contact me securely on Signal at dmehro.89.
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What Else We’re Reading
🔗 ‘Short-Sighted and Stupid’: Dem Megadonor Abandons Crypto Super PACs: Democratic megadonor Ron Conway isn’t too happy with some of the crypto industry’s donations to Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio. (Politico)
🔗 Trump Wants to Hire Elon Musk—and Possibly Cut Tesla's Key Tax Credit: In an interview this week, Trump suggested that he might actually hire Elon Musk for a cabinet role if the former president were to win reelection. (Axios)
The Download
I’m back on the WIRED Politics Lab podcast this week chatting with our host Leah Feiger about everything I’ve seen here in Chicago. You can check it out wherever you listen to podcasts!
That’s it for today—thanks again for subscribing. You can get in touch with me via email, Instagram, X, and Signal at makenakelly.32.
