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Milwaukee candidate uses Facebook Dating to reach voters
Milwaukee gubernatorial candidate Carlos Dixon is using Facebook Dating to reach voters as part of an unconventional campaign strategy.
MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin voters will head to the polls in less than a year to choose the state’s next governor, and experts say new digital strategies are already reshaping how candidates connect with the public.
One Milwaukee candidate is taking that creativity to a space most voters wouldn’t expect: Facebook Dating.
What they're saying:
Carlos Dixon, a Milwaukee native running under the banner of his campaign "Wisconsin Rebuild," says he’s turning to unconventional tactics to make up for a lack of name recognition and funding.
"I welcome it all and I want to talk and hold conversations with everybody from 8 to 80," Dixon said.
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Dixon says his upbringing – time spent in the foster care system, run-ins with the law and relying on government assistance – shaped his ability to connect with voters.
"The favors that I have to pay back are to the people who have looked out for me when I didn’t have a place to live, when I didn’t have food to eat," he said.
His biggest challenge, he says, is that not many people know who he is. So he’s applying what he calls a creative approach to outreach.
"Where I lack in finance and money, I thrive in creativity," Dixon said.
Big picture view:
That creativity includes placing his campaign messaging on Facebook Dating, where voters may see his profile pop up while scrolling – but Dixon says it isn’t for romance.
"You pick that phone up, you got a notification, so-and-so liked your dating profile, and then you go on there and it’s a guy that’s running for governor of Wisconsin," he said. "I don’t have any plans on actually going out and building some romantic relationship with somebody. I want to meet the people where they are."
He says the strategy is aimed at younger voters, a group he believes will shape Wisconsin’s future.
"Trying to engage with the younger voters because they are the future of the country and the future of the state," he said.
Dig deeper:
Dixon isn’t the only one using the power of social media to spread their message. Political communication experts say Dixon’s approach reflects a broader trend.
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"We’re just after the Zohran Mamdani election in New York, where a year ago he was doing videos of him interviewing New Yorkers, what’s the problem, and that’s sort of what he ended up building his campaign message about," said UW–Milwaukee assistant communication professor Michael Mirer.
Mirer says social media-driven campaigning can be a powerful tool for candidates who don’t have traditional funding.
"If you don’t have access to those things right away, you have to find creative ways to get yourself into those positions and that to me is what’s interesting about a guy like Carlos Dixon," Mirer said.
Dixon said that when it comes to Facebook Dating, everyone is getting a swipe right. As for his campaign, he said his top issues are economic justice, free state education and environmental safety.
The Source: FOX6 spoke with Milwaukee gubernatorial candidate Carlos Dixon and UW–Milwaukee assistant communication professor Michael Mirer.