'I know you from TikTok': How 1 Arizona lawmaker is using social media to engage voters
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One Arizona lawmaker is turning to TikTok to show voters what exactly happens at the state Legislature — and is gaining a following doing so.
Rep. Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, started using TikTok during the pandemic as a distraction, but began to post videos when she decided to run for office in 2022. She now has nearly 30,000 followers on the platform.
“What I love about TikTok is that I can use it to really give people a behind-the-scenes look at the work we do here at the Capitol,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz makes videos about a wide variety of topics, including bills that are moving through the Legislature, signature-gathering efforts for candidates and news conferences happening at the Capitol. The comments are often filled with viewers thanking Ortiz for providing information and asking for more videos on similar topics.
Ortiz said she has even received feedback on her videos while collecting signatures for her reelection campaign.
“What I started to find was that I would go knock on doors to meet voters and they would answer the door and be like ‘Oh my God, I know you from TikTok,’” Ortiz said.
Ortiz also includes other Arizona lawmakers in her TikToks, including Democrats like state Sen. Anna Hernandez, U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego and former state Rep. Raquel Terán. She also reached across the aisle for a video featuring Rep. David Cook, R-Globe.
Cook and Ortiz partnered up for a bill aimed at cracking down on bots on ticket-selling websites, calling it the “Taylor Swift Act.” The two lip-synced to Swift’s song “Better Than Revenge” in a TikTok about the bill.
Cook said he's not sure if he'll be making more TikToks in the future, but said he had a good time participating on Ortiz's account.
"It was fun because of the subject matter and the fact that I appreciated a Democrat representative reaching out to a Republican asking to do something that we both share common goals on," Cook said.
While other Arizona politicians and political agencies like Gallego and the Arizona Democratic Party have TikTok accounts, Ortiz said she is the only state lawmaker who uses the app to engage with Arizonans. She attributes this partially to her background in journalism.
“I am a former broadcast journalist and my job when I was a reporter was to shoot and edit all of my own videos,” Ortiz said. “So, I have that training that really comes in handy when it comes to creating video content for social media.”
Arizona banned TikTok from state-owned devices in 2023, but Ortiz is free to make content with her personal devices. The U.S. House is currently considering a federal ban on the app that has support from President Joe Biden, but it's unclear whether the ban will pass the Senate.
Ortiz said she can see the app becoming a tool for lawmakers to interact directly with their constituents — and not just the younger generations.
“I would say probably the majority of my followers are in their 30s or 40s,” Ortiz said. “Of course, I have a good chunk of younger folks, but it’s where the people are, and in order to properly be communicating with people about elections or about things that are happening with the government, we have to meet them there.”
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Reach the reporter at rpriest@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Rep. Analise Ortiz uses TikTok to inform, engage voters
