Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Political pollster Zac McCrary interviews interesting people who work in and around the political industry. Guests come from a multitude of backgrounds and specialties within the political industry, and span the partisan spectrum. This is not a podcast for partisan squabbling or punditry about the latest issue in DC - it is hearing directly from successful people in the industry...their stories, experiences, and advice. This is a podcast for anyone who works in politics, hopes to work in politics, or wants to get up close to see how things really work in the world of professional politics.

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Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

Ryan Davis, Co-Founder of People First, on Why 2024 Was "The Influencer Election"

January 14, 2025 • Zac McCrary

Ryan Davis, co-founder of the digital political firm People First, has long been at the cutting edge of digital politics and the rise of digital influencers and has dubbed 2024 as "The Influencer Election". In this conversation, Ryan talks his roots in politics, a detour through the NYC theater community, being part of the influential 2004 Howard Dean campaign, and eventually starting the first firm focused on digital political influencers. And Ryan goes deep on the 2024 race...how the campaigns' strategies differed, the role of influencers and podcasts, which platforms are on the ascent versus descent, how he is thinking about the 2026 and 2028, and much more covering one of the most important and quickly evolving facets of modern political campaigns.

IN THIS EPISODE

Ryan's path from early work in Libertarian-minded GOP politics to migrating to the Democratic side of the fence...

Ryan is inspired to work in politics by the anti-war sentiment of Howard Dean's 04 campaign...

Ryan talks his time working in the NYC theatre and his views of "theatre kids" in politics...

Ryan on how the '04 Dean digital operation changed the way campaigns are run...

Ryan's path from working in campaigns to starting People First - the first political firm focused on digital influencers...

Ryan's favorite case studies of how to smartly utilize digital influencers in politics...

Ryan on why he dubs 2024 as "The Influencer Election"...

The role of podcasts in the '24 presidential election...

Why Democrats can't and shouldn't try to create their own Joe Rogan...

The symbiotic nature of influencer content bridging into paid media content...

"White Guys for Kamala" and other affinity groups...

The relative value of political vs non-political influencers...

How GenZ digests information differently than those who came before...

How some big influencer accounts "rip off" clients...

Ryan on the political utility of various platforms like TikTok, BlueSky, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, NextDoor, and more...

How Ryan would tackle digital organizing ahead of the 2026 and 2028 elections...

Ryan on the right skill set to work with digital influencers...

Ryan's life as an itinerant "digital nomad" and tips from extensive world travels...

AND The Analyst Institute, Andy Beshear, Simón Bolívar, ChatGPT, conservative e-zines, dog influencers, Al Gore, Mark Green, Kamala Harris, Curtis Hougland, John McCain, Barack Obama, parasocial relationships, Ronald Reagan, RealPlayer, Joe Rospars, Sesame Street, Norman Siegel, Snoopy, Zephyr Teachout, Joe Trippi, Barron Trump, Tim Walz...& more!