US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held her first lucky Animal Crossing: New Horizons players.
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez announced that she wanted to start streaming yesterday by simply asking on Twitter if anyone would be interested in streaming with her. Unsurprisingly, the answer from a lot of streamers was an emphatic “yes.” She quickly arranged a game with streamers Pokimane and Hasan Piker, but her first stream - intended to go live yesterday - was pushed back so AOC could gather the requisite streaming equipment and prepare for the stream.
Earlier today, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez posted to Twitter that the stream would go forward tonight. Before the game even got underway, AOC’s Twitch stream attracted more than 200,000 viewers, a number that grew quickly as the stream picked up. While the stream is still ongoing, it peaked at around 440,000 earlier in the night. According to Twitch stats tracker SullyGnome, that gives AOC’s Among Us game tonight the sixth-highest peak viewer count in Twitch history. That’s only ing for AOC’s own stream, not those of Rep. Ilhan Omar, Pokimane, Hasan Piker, DrLupo, and several other streamers who ed in on the game.
Before her Among Us stream tonight, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez already took an active interest in Twitch. She was behind proposed legislation that would have curbed the military’s ability to use Twitch as a recruiting tool - something it’s gotten a lot of backlash for lately - though the measure was ultimately defeated. While this was AOC’s first stream from her own channel, she previously appeared on a charity stream from Hbomberguy to trans rights.
If AOC’s first stream is any indication, there’s quite an audience that wants to see the politician take a break for some games if she chooses to stream again. While she hasn’t specifically laid out any plans for streaming beyond this first outing, the chances seem good that this won’t be her last time on Twitch. A lot of that has to do with AOC’s charisma and actual interest in streaming for its own sake. Unlike attempts to use Twitch by other politicians, AOC is using Twitch like any other streamer for her Among Us stream - as a way to have fun and give viewers an entertaining show. It just happens to also be in of mobilizing voters for an incredibly important election.
Source: AOC/Twitch, SullyGnome
