Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate speaks during a Democratic unity rally in Detroit, Michigan U.S. August 7, 2026. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
Democrats have found a new midterm tool, and it involves a lot more skin.
According to Axios, the party is leaning into sex appeal across its social feeds, serving up unbuttoned shirts on CNN, bare biceps on the rally stage, made-for-TikTok b-roll and the return of the tan suit.
The bet, per Axios, is on candidates who read as young, energetic and even desirable. The Democrats' main TikTok account has given the "thirst trap" treatment to Sen. Jon Ossoff, nicknamed "Senator My Boo" by fans, Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in his tight T-shirts, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a slightly grayer Barack Obama. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Michelle Obama have gotten screen time too, though the page has made what The Recount's Grace Weinstein called a deliberate choice to feature its most attractive male members.
"We're talking about a generation that is not always image obsessed, but always image aware," Weinstein, a politics and culture correspondent at the outlet, told Axios.
The DNC framed it as a method to expand its reach. Fan edits are "breaking into group chats and DMs" and spreading the word "in a fun way," digital director Paulina Mangubat said, adding that the party's 13.9 million TikTok followers "agree: Fighting for Americans is sexy."
Berkeley political scientist Gabriel Lenz, however, said parties have always chased leaders who "look the part," from Warren Harding to JFK to Bill Clinton. Style behaviorist Lauren Rothman put it plainly to Axios: "The strategy is the same. The distribution system is what has evolved."