In the fast-paced world of short videos, staying on trend can make or break a political campaign. That’s why former Biden Health Secretary Xavier Becerra is taking a bold step in California’s governor race: he’s going full Spanish on TikTok. 📱🇪🇸
Why Spanish only? His team noticed that Hispanic adults are the most active TikTok users—nearly half of them scrolling through dance challenges, memes, and news updates every day. By posting exclusively in Spanish, Becerra aims to lock in this key audience early and build a loyal base on a platform where many politicians are just getting started.
Meanwhile, former President Trump also joined TikTok last year—despite earlier threats to ban ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company—and has racked up millions of followers. The White House even launched its own account last month, showing how TikTok is now part of the D.C. game plan.
For Democrats, Becerra’s strategy is a counter to last year’s rightward shift in Latino voters seen in states like Texas, Florida, and even California. With the Trump administration pushing to make English the official language, offering content in Spanish is a timely reminder of the US’s multicultural reality.
According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study, 48% of Hispanic adults use TikTok—compared with 39% of Black adults and 28% of white adults. That makes the app a digital goldmine for campaigns that want to connect, inform, and inspire young Latino voters.
Will Becerra’s Spanish-only TikTok feed sway the California governor’s race? The experiment is just beginning, but one thing is clear: in 2024, every scroll, like, and share counts. ⏳✨
Reference(s):
TikTok: A new way to reach voters in California's governor race
cgtn.com
