In the wake of the 2016 election, social media has been singled out for blame for the ways in which some platforms were so easily manipulated into tools against democracy.
For 23-year-old Richard Wolf, it’s a completely different story; social media is the driving force behind his campaign to become the Democratic nominee in Texas House District 63.
“At least for my district...online communities have really put together a lot of really strong volunteers...and have really mobilized the Democrats in my area,” Wolf told Cheddar.
Wolf has been wielding memes to discuss liberal policy proposals on social media, which he says is the most cost-efficient and unfiltered way to campaign. So far, he has only spent about $200 on online advertising.
“Basically, I just make whatever I want, do whatever I like, and I put that online,” Wolf said. “So far, I’ve been getting pretty positive responses.”
Early voting numbers for the Texas primary on Tuesday show that Democratic turnout has surpassed GOP voting, giving the party momentum and hope to flip the Lone Star State. The Democrats face an uphill battle there as the Republicans now hold 95 of the 150 seats in the state House. But Wolf sees positive signs.
“People are not happy with the Trump administration...and we can see the Republican party kind of losing energy.” said Wolf.
Only time will tell whether the rising Democrat tide will lift Wolf’s boat at the ballot box.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-this-texas-house-candidate-is-using-memes-to-move-the-state-leftward).
The timeline raised concern among public health experts about an “October surprise" — a vaccine approval driven by political considerations ahead of a presidential election, rather than science.
The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for records about widespread delays to mail delivery.
NBA all-star Jrue Holiday is working to combat systemic racism by donating his remaining salary. The New Orleans Pelicans guard is working with Resilia, a technology platform, to track his donations and ensure change is really happening.
Facebook said Tuesday that it removed a small network of accounts and pages linked to Russia's Internet Research Agency, the “troll factory" that has used social media accounts to sow political discord in the U.S. since the 2016 presidential election.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer confirmed the U.S. House of Representatives will vote in September on the MORE Act, which seeks to decriminalize cannabis and remove it from the Controlled Substances Act
Mayor Bill de Blasio says New York City is delaying sending students back to classrooms in the nation’s largest public school system.
China on Friday introduced export restrictions on artificial intelligence technology, including the type that TikTok uses to choose which videos to spool up to its users.
A Star of David-adorned El Al plane has landed in Abu Dhabi after flying in from Israel, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates.
Cannabis industry advocates say a lack of an embrace from Republicans over legalization could mean missing out on voters come November..
Twitter's vice president of policy and philanthropy in the Americas Jessica Herrera-Flanigan talks to Cheddar about how political buzz on the social media platform has to be earned instead of purchased.
