Meme Group joins the Lincoln Project in a new campaign against Trump

Meme 2020 group is partnering with The Lincoln Project, a leading Republican group that opposes President TrumpDonald John Trump Governor Approval Rates Drop As COVID-19 Cases Rise Gohmert Says He Will Take Hydroxychloroquine As Treatment For Virginia Governor COVID-19, Senators Seek CDC Help With Coronavirus Outbreak In Center immigration detention MORERe-election, with a new campaign targeting young voters through popular Instagram accounts.

Meme 2020 made its first foray into politics earlier this year with a boost Michael BloombergMichael Bloomberg: The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump revolves around the convention; GOP criticizes virus Bloomberg gun control group spends M on campaigns in eight shifting states Democrats’ shake to the radical left – and other useful myths MOREThe presidential campaign, but its latest project, launched this week, focuses on a broader effort to mobilize voters.

“Meme 2020 is a kind of laser focused on building this new medium that has not been developed in political advertising,” said Ryan Patrick Kelley, chief of staff for Meme 2020.

The partnership with The Lincoln Project, he said, seemed natural given the attention the Republican anti-Trump group has garnered in recent months. The Lincoln Project is led by Republicans opposed to Trump, including George ConwayGeorge Thomas Conway The latest Lincoln Project announcement: ‘It’s the Trump virus now’ The Lincoln Project announcement features former Navy SEAL: ‘Trump is not conservative’ The sinking Trump seeks to crush Republican dissent, the Washington, DC attorney, married to the White House counselor Kellyanne ConwayKellyanne Elizabeth Conway Lincoln Project latest announcement: “Now is the Trump virus” Lincoln Project announcement introduces former Navy SEAL: “Trump is not conservative” The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump revolves around the convention ; Republican Party criticizes virus bill MORE.

“It is no secret that the Lincoln Project has been an absolute monster in this area,” said Kelley.

The Republican group earlier this month said it raised $ 16.8 million in the second quarter of 2020, and has released numerous ads attacking Trump. But the Lincoln Project has been active in “more traditional spaces,” Kelley noted. Through this association, your message can be expanded to try to reach younger voters, which will be a key voting block for the November elections.

“The Lincoln Project is resonating across the United States because we speak to conservatives and independents in a way that they understand,” said Sarah Lenti, executive director of the Lincoln Project. “Meme2020 works the same way: We are using the language of the internet to speak to younger voters.

“It is incredibly exciting to see two entities, of different partisan origins, come together in solidarity to change the course of history,” he added in a statement.

The Meme 2020 campaign is funded by tech entrepreneur Reid Hoffman. The group is also partnering with Rhyme Combinator, a viral media company promoting artists and progressive causes, on the project.

Unlike sponsored content backing Bloomberg in February, the new release is not focused on candidates and will include content to connect potential voters with resources, including finding their polling places and requesting ballots by mail.

“Voter mobilization is focused on this launch,” Kelley said.

The group is working with popular Instagram meme accounts, including MyTherapistSays, which has more than 5.5 million followers, TankSinatra, which has more than 2.6 million followers, and AdamTheCreator, which has 762,000 followers, in the latest campaign.

The memes released by the accounts on Wednesday focused on the vote by mail, against which Trump criticized while issuing unfounded claims that it leads to electoral fraud. The memes submit mail ballot requests for different states with text messages from “FBI agents.”

The meme posted by MyTherapistSays, for example, features a California mail-in ballot request with text from an “FBI agent” saying “It’s nice to see you doing something productive.” Also, quarantine is not an excuse to answer you, Jenna.

One posted by TankSinatra features a mail-in ballot for Florida, a key state for the November election, with a text from an “FBI agent” that says “You know Joe Exotic is not on the ballot, right?”

In addition to the memes, the accounts included links that users could follow to request mail ballots.

Along with the launch of the campaign, Meme 2020 this week submitted documents to create a super PAC to further develop its efforts to engage young voters, Kelley said. The group submitted documents Wednesday to form the Meme America PAC.

“You have some of these cool super PACs, [but they’re] not necessarily aimed at younger Americans, “he said.

The PAC will help the group amplify its message and activate voters on Election Day, he said.