Why Kamala Harris' VP Pick Just Twitch Streamed a Rally Alongside World of Warcraft

The Kamala Harris campaign took a novel approach to political outreach early Wednesday evening by combining a Tim Walz rally with live World of Warcraft gameplay on Twitch. 

The event, which streamed at 6:30 p.m. ET, featured Minnesota Governor and Walz's speech from Arizona, side-by-side with gameplay commentary from Preheat, a popular WoW streamer.

Walz was tapped as Vice President Harris' political running mate in August, taking up the mantle as a stabilizing and experienced figure in the Democratic ticket. 

The Harris campaign’s use of gaming culture to reach potential voters is part of a growing trend in political campaigning, where traditional outreach methods are being complemented by digital strategies to capture the attention of younger, tech-savvy audiences.

Preheat, known for his expertise in WoW and boasting over 50,000 Twitch followers, provided live commentary on the game while the rally unfolded. 

As Walz spoke, Preheat continued his gameplay, tackling one of the latest raid bosses from The War Within expansion, blending the immersive world of Azeroth with real-world political messaging. 

Throughout the stream, Preheat highlighted his own volunteer work with the Harris campaign and encouraged viewers to make a plan to vote.

This is the first time the Harris campaign has integrated live gaming with a political rally on its Twitch account, which launched in August. The campaign’s decision to stream on Twitch is part of its broader strategy to engage younger voters, particularly men who dominate the platform’s user base. 

By combining political content with gaming, the Harris campaign is hoping to increase visibility among hard-to-reach voters. In recent weeks, the campaign has also advertised during major sporting events and on gaming platforms like IGN.

The use of Twitch for political outreach is becoming increasingly common. Both the Joe Biden and Donald Trump campaigns utilized the platform during the 2020 election. 

While Trump’s Twitch account was suspended after the January 6 Capitol riots, it was reinstated earlier this year.