AOC’s debut Twitch stream quickly becomes one of platform’s most-viewed
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 23: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) campaigns on June 23, 2020 in the Bronx borough of New York City. Ocasio-Cortez is running for re-election in the 14th congressional district against Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, a former CNBC
WASHINGTON - Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar attracted an audience of nearly half a million people Tuesday night by playing the viral video game Among Us on Twitch — one of the biggest events in the history of the popular online streaming platform.
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The freshmen Democrats organized the event as an impromptu get-out-the-vote effort aimed at young Americans, the latest in a series of video game events held by high-profile Democrats. Last week, former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign also debuted an “island” on the popular game Animal Crossing.
Within an hour of AOC beginning the stream — her first on Twitch — close to 440,000 people were watching at the same time.
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It was the third-largest audience ever for a live Twitch stream, according to Axios.
As of Tuesday night, the “Squad” member’s profile on the platform already has nearly 500,000 subscribers, making her almost immediately one of the site’s most popular personalities after first creating the account earlier in the day.
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Earlier this year, AOC made Twitch the centerpiece of her proposal to ban the US military from recruiting using online gaming platforms — namely, disbanding the Army’s profile and recruitment presence on the site.