President Joe Biden's re-election campaign is ramping up its digital workforce, making four key hires ahead of the Super Tuesday primary.
On Sunday, the campaign named Ryan Thompson chief mobilization officer and Kate Conway creative director. Kat Stern has been named Director of Digital Persuasion and Clark Humphrey has become Senior Advisor, Digital Persuasion. A Biden spokesperson told WIRED that Stern, a former vice president of paid media at Democratic marketing firm Authentic, will lead the digital advertising program with Humphrey, who will also work with the company's network of influencers. Told. Humphrey previously served as the White House digital director for the Biden administration's COVID-19 task force. Their program will be “focused on creative testing and reaching more places than ever before.”
“We're excited to bring on board four experienced digital operatives for the general election,” Rob Flaherty, deputy campaign manager for Biden, said in a statement to WIRED. “This team not only understands how to reach voters in an environment that is more personalized and online than ever before. He's one of the great builders.”
The announcement comes as the Biden campaign shifts its focus to how it can reach more voters online throughout the campaign. During the Super Bowl in January, the Biden team opened a TikTok account despite concerns from lawmakers that the Chinese government could use the app to spy on American citizens. Earlier this year, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said the app reaches more than 170 million Americans, including many young voters who supported Biden in 2020. Ta.
“We're in a new phase of the campaign where people are starting to tune in. We want to make sure we reach people in as many places as possible,” Flaherty said of his decision to join TikTok in February. He spoke to “WIRED'' about the issue.
Flaherty, who previously served as White House digital director, was appointed deputy campaign manager in August. Thompson previously served as chief digital officer for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, where in 2018 he managed a $15 million email list-building budget that ultimately raised more than $106 million. Conway also worked at DCCC, where he built an in-house creative team as creative director.
Over the past four years, the Biden campaign has invested heavily in digital. Since Biden's inauguration, his team has built relationships with dozens of social media influencers across platforms like Instagram and TikTok to spread the president's message online. The administration even went so far as to hold briefings with creators on pressing topics such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In December, the White House held its first-ever holiday party for political content creators.
Recent polls show that young voters overwhelmingly supported Biden in the last presidential election, but support is declining. The campaign's continued investment in digital efforts will be critical to re-engaging voters whose support for Biden has waned.
