A few days ago, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced that she would join anAmong Usstream hosted by Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party. Ocasio-Cortez opened up about her time playingLeague of Legendson stream, explaining some of the shocking similarities between the two experiences – and how one helped her prepare for the other.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (known as AOC by most) is a U.S. Congresswoman and rising star of the Democratic party’s progressive wing. This isn’t the first time she’s utilized Twitch as a platform; last month she hosted anAmong Usstream to spread the word about voter registration and the importance of voting, joining up with a number ofpopular Twitch figures like Pokimane and HasanAbito pull in hundreds of thousands of viewers.
RELATED:US Congresswoman AOC Reaches New Milestone in League of Legends
This time around, Ryan “Northernlion” Letourneau posed an important question to theCongresswoman andLeague of Legendsplayer: “Do you think having to keep your cool inLeague of Legendshas helped your political career when it comes to maintaining some decorum in Congress?” he asked during a brief respite between games of chaotic social deduction.“Yeah, I think so,” answered Ocasio-Cortez. “Getting caught in Elo Hell really requires so much patience… you know, you’re playing with 12-year-olds rage quitting five minutes into a game, it really builds your patience.”
“Elo Hell” is the unaffectionate term often used in MOBAs to describe some of the difficult circumstances of climbing the ranked ladder. It isn’t often that gaming is equated with the highest level of government, but AOC’s newfound Twitch presence is likely an indicator of the future direction of politics, especially in the progressive and grassroots sector. Ilhan Omar (another member of the group of Congresswomen of color informally known as “The Squad”) didn’t join theAmong Usstreamthis time around, but Singh is clearly making a similar effort to reach youth voters.
AOC’s first stream pulled in nearrecord breaking viewership, with streamers and viewers alike begging her to reprise the event. It’s no surprise that she came back for round two after last time’s success. While jokes of Ocasio-Cortez “courting the gamer vote” are constantly being thrown around, her effort shows that even those in the highest seats of power enjoy playing games; and even more than that, it shows the potential of gaming and streaming as a medium for political outreach. If it sticks, streaming may become more of a focus point in future political campaigns than anyone could’ve predicted.
