Thirst trap politics

October 16, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Thirst trap politics

In the aftermath of the 2024 election, something unexpected started appearing on TikTok and Instagram: elaborate, professionally-edited video compilations of Senator Jon Ossoff set to Sabrina Carpenter songs, with captions like "America needs a hot president" and "Jon Ossoff's slutty Atticus Finch cosplay is my favorite." These weren't campaign ads or paid partnerships, as reporter Grace Panetta of The 19th discovered while investigating the phenomenon. They were entirely organic creations from regular online supporters who simply think the Georgia senator is very attractive. As Panetta put it, these creators are "just doing it for the love of the game."

The organic thirst machine

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Thirst Trap Politics: The Intro** - The episode opens with the phenomenon of "thirsty" fan edits of politicians on social media, centered on Senator John Ossoff.
2 (02:07) **The Ossoff Edits: Organic or Astroturfed?** - Reporter Grace Panetta explains that these fan edits are not paid partnerships but genuine, organic content from regular creators.
3 (04:11) **Beyond Ossoff: Other Thirst Candidates** - The trend extends to other Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed, Gavin Newsom, and even official accounts like the DNC's TikTok page.
4 (06:12) **Why Now? The Post-2024 Digital Strategy** - Panetta argues this is a culmination of the Democratic Party's reckoning after the 2024 loss, specifically regarding their digital strategy and the "gerontocracy."
5 (07:23) **The Objectification Problem** - The conversation turns to the tricky ethics of this strategy, as it involves the objectification of male candidates.
6 (09:10) **Does It Work? The "Kamala is Brat" Precedent** - The host questions whether this strategy is effective, citing the failed "Kamala is Brat" meme that didn't translate into electoral victory.
7 (13:44) **[Ad Break]** - Mid-roll advertisements for Anthropic (Claude AI) and Ring home security.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

The internet has a crush on some of the candidates running for office this election season and it’s saying a lot about how Democrats and Republicans wield sexuality.

This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt with help from Ariana Aspuru, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Abdul El-Sayed at a town hall event on September 3, 2026 in Waterford, Michigan. Photo by Emily Elconin/Getty Images.

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