NEW: Once averse to politics, Facebook is now paying political creators thousands of dollars a month to post on the platform. One influencer I spoke to earned $268,000 in January alone. 🤯 www.chaoticera.news/p/on-faceboo...

👀 ICYMI: I wrote about the Talarico campaign's embrace of one super-surrogate for the Texas Latino community—Carlos Eduardo Espina—and his massive reach among audiences online. 👇 🔗 www.chaoticera.news/p/the-texas-...

NEW: Ahead of today's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas, I spoke to Carlos Eduardo Espina about the race and his unique role as part super volunteer, part secret weapon for @jamestalarico.bsky.social 👇 www.chaoticera.news/p/the-texas-...

NEW: Ahead of today's Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Texas, I spoke to Carlos Eduardo Espina about the race and his unique role as part super volunteer, part secret weapon for @jamestalarico.bsky.social 👇 www.chaoticera.news/p/the-texas-...

🤳 500+ creator collabs since 2023 🎙️ 26 podcast appearances last year 🏀 Sitdowns with golf, basketball vloggers 📧 A creator-only private Substack & SMS program Here's a look at how Josh Shapiro's team prioritizes social media creator engagement: www.chaoticera.news/p/josh-shapi...

New: The Trump arrest of @donlemonofficial.bsky.social has backfired, giving biggest boost of his online career. In two weeks, he's gained 300k on Instagram, 140k on YouTube, 73% on Substack and started selling arrest-themed merch. "They elevated me," he said in interview wapo.st/3OfiGxz

This week I blew past 1️⃣5️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ subscribers to Chaotic Era. Thanks to all of you for reading, clicking, sharing, and dropping it in your group chats, I'm just getting started.

New: Behind the viral launch videos and attention-grabbing headlines of Graham Platner, Dan Osborn, Abdul el-Sayed, and Nathan Sage sits Fight Agency, a group of strategists betting that this is a moment in which they can reshape their party’s future. www.chaoticera.news/p/can-populi...

“The account has just been sitting dormant…the boom and bust of (political campaigns) standing these accounts up during the election cycle, putting all the work into building audience, and then just leaving—that process has to be reevaluated.” www.chaoticera.news/p/behind-the...

This is a great plan you genuinely love to see it.

🚨 NEW: I spoke to the team behind "Headquarters," a new project that will rebrand Kamala Harris' viral social media accounts in order to promote progressive content ahead of the midterms. www.chaoticera.news/p/behind-the...

New: People actually watch Don Lemon! And they call themselves "Lemon Heads." 🍋 www.chaoticera.news/p/the-rise-o...

New: People actually watch Don Lemon! And they call themselves "Lemon Heads." 🍋 www.chaoticera.news/p/the-rise-o...

Basically the entire MAGA media ecosystem is encouraging Trump to take over Greenland, and some of the biggest are cheerleading the end of NATO. Here's a quick roundup: www.chaoticera.news/p/top-conser...

Basically the entire MAGA media ecosystem is encouraging Trump to take over Greenland, and some of the biggest are cheerleading the end of NATO. Here's a quick roundup: www.chaoticera.news/p/top-conser...

👀 @captmarkkelly.bsky.social has seen a surge in growth for his social media accounts as Pete Hegseth investigates him in an act of political retribution. Over 1.1 million new followers added since November 👇

As Democrats try to make sense of a powerful right-wing media ecosystem, some progressives have turned to a creative solution: a book club to listen to conservative podcasts and YouTube shows 👇 www.chaoticera.news/p/meet-liber...

Outstanding data, a lot of dem aligned operatives are in complete denial about this stuff and how effective it is

Just imagine if rather than flushing a billion dollars down the toilet every four years on ineffectual TV ads in Pennsylvania, Democratic donors put that money into creating a durable information infrastructure the way Republicans have

From @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social: New IRS filings made available in December show that during the 2024 calendar year, the nonprofit affiliates of 18 conservative media organizations received $260.2 million in contributions from major donors and foundations. www.chaoticera.news/p/nonprofit-...

NEW: In 2024, right-wing donors gave over $260 million in tax-deductible contributions to nonprofit conservative media outlets. Recipients included orgs running "pink slime" sites and fake news pages on Facebook. Link to report in reply below 👇

The most-viewed right-leaning personality on YouTube this year wasn’t Tucker Carlson, Ben Shapiro, or Candace Owens; it was a guy named Zack Hoyt. More insights in my year-end YouTube roundup www.chaoticera.news/p/new-data-t...

Both parties’ electoral coalitions consume their news and information in 1,000 different places and have to be reached in 1,000 different ways. Read my end-of-year interview with @theguardian.com on this ~chaotic~ political era: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘There’s a whole new bench of progressive creators’: how Democrats can catch up in the online space

❗️ To close out the year, I spoke with @theguardian.com on how the changing information ecosystem online is impacting our politics, and what it means for Democrats. 👇 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

I understood the moral disgust Americans, including MAGA, have with Epstein class because of these conversations. Some go on podcasts to make their case. I go on also to learn and listen.

ICYMI: Right-wing “dark money ATM” Donors Trust gave over $26 million to media efforts in 2024 👀

💡 NEW: 21 leading Democrats who are widely mentioned as possible 2028 presidential contenders sat down for more than 430 podcast interviews in 2025, according to @jesselehrich.bsky.social, who has listened to almost all of them...

1/ One read 📖 Friend of The Citizens @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social has a terrific look back at the year that was online. What broke through? What broke the internet? Dig in here: www.chaoticera.news/p/the-bigges...

Thanks for the recap, @beehiiv.com

Trumpworld figures are trying to dislodge WinRed as the GOP's key fundraising platform. It matters because WinRed was set up specifically to help fund + share donor data with the party's data operation, The Data Trust.

According to Resonate's data, these were the political topics that received the most-engagement (likes, shares, comments) on social media in 2025. Posts about Immigration/ICE got over 2.2 billion engagements, followed by Israel/Gaza, Protests, Shutdown, Charlie Kirk, Musk/DOGE.

📉 NEW: The online political conversation in 2025 was ~chaotic~ as ever, but which topics and moments really broke through? I worked with the team at Resonate to analyze data from thousands of social media accounts across platforms. Read here: www.chaoticera.news/p/the-bigges...

"After her hearing ended, three-year-old Lucy cuddled her teddy bear as she walked back from the lawyer’s table and took a seat. Moments later, the next child was called up to face the judge..." coppercourier.com/2025/12/05/c...

📉 NEW: The online political conversation in 2025 was ~chaotic~ as ever, but which topics and moments really broke through? I worked with the team at Resonate to analyze data from thousands of social media accounts across platforms. Read here: www.chaoticera.news/p/the-bigges...

ICYMI, read this week's newsletter here: 🔗 www.chaoticera.news/p/liberal-me...

NEW: It has been a big year for Democrats looking to solve their partisan media problem. 2025 has seen Democratic operatives pitch donors on more than a dozen new efforts, while established left-of-center outlets grew faster than ever. www.chaoticera.news/p/liberal-me...

NEW: It has been a big year for Democrats looking to solve their partisan media problem. 2025 has seen Democratic operatives pitch donors on more than a dozen new efforts, while established left-of-center outlets grew faster than ever. www.chaoticera.news/p/liberal-me...

Kyle Tharp's Chaotic Era newsletter offers an encouraging overview of progressives' attempts to boost their media reach. Kyle cites the sponsor of my Stop the Presses newsletter, Courier, which is big on TikTok and also runs local newsrooms. @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social @couriernewsroom.bsky.social

"Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate..."That doesn't exist," OPM Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOGE's status." www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...

“If this were to flip, that would say more about the state of the country than any other race possibly could.” The Holler’s Kanew talked to @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social about the TN-7 race: www.chaoticera.news/p/can-democr...

“If this were to flip, that would say more about the state of the country than any other race possibly could,” says Justin Kanew of the @thetnholler.bsky.social. “People have a real chance to do something special here.” www.chaoticera.news/p/can-democr...

Even on TikTok, Gavin Newsom’s owned content has received more views and engagement than that of Mamdani, who has been widely heralded as a social media savant.

Newsom's online follower growth this year has outpaced that of every other Democratic politician in America, including high-profile progressive stars such as Zohran Mamdani, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Bernie Sanders.

Newsom's online rise really took off around a key moment in early June, when he told the Trump administration to arrest him during a MSNBC hit. "I remember the moment that it happened," one progressive YouTuber told me. "I posted a video about it...and immediately it exploded."

NEW: Gavin Newsom is having a very good year, both online and off. From passing Prop 50 to his podcast success, influencer collabs, and viral social growth, the California Governor is giving grassroots Democrats what they want: style and substance. www.chaoticera.news/p/gavin-news...

Wow. Newsom and his team have been crushing it on TikTok, getting "more views and engagement than that of Mamdani, who has been widely heralded as a social media savant." From @kylewilsontharp.bsky.social

Newsom's online rise really took off around a key moment in early June, when he told the Trump administration to arrest him during a MSNBC hit. "I remember the moment that it happened," one progressive YouTuber told me. "I posted a video about it...and immediately it exploded."

The lesson for all Democrats: Be brave, be bold, fire your traditional comms hacks and hand the keys to your digital strategists.

NEW: Gavin Newsom is having a very good year, both online and off. From passing Prop 50 to his podcast success, influencer collabs, and viral social growth, the California Governor is giving grassroots Democrats what they want: style and substance. www.chaoticera.news/p/gavin-news...