Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar made their Twitch debuts today, enjoying a few rounds of Werewolf-like sleeper hit Among Us with several high profile streamers. AOC may be a highly intelligent, engaged politician, but it turns out she is an absolutely terrible space murderer.
The two Among Us newbies were joined by a constellation of Twitch stars, including Pokimane, Hasanabi, Disguised Toast, Dr Lupo, Myth, mxmtoon, Jacksepticeye, Cr1TiKaL, and Corpse Husband. Omar's teenage daughter Isra Hirsi also jumped in for some mother-daughter bonding time.
However, it was AOC's stream that received the most attention. Twitch confirmed to Mashable that her channel reached a peak of over 435,000 concurrent viewers during the three-and-a-half hour broadcast. This is an incredibly impressive figure for a new streamer — especially considering the number one record is 667,000, currently held by hugely popular Fortnite streamer Ninja.
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Despite Among Us' theme of betrayal, sabotage, and horrible space death, AOC's first Twitch stream was surprisingly wholesome and a heap of fun. Much of the New York representative's early playtime was spent figuring out out how the game works and fretting that she couldn't kill anyone. Meanwhile, her opponents joked that “everyone is a little afraid of executing the Congresswoman.”
"Guys, I really don't want to be Imposter. Please don't let me be Imposter," said Ocasio-Cortez, right before being designated an Imposter in the very first game. "I'm so nervous."
Omar was markedly better at playing the hidden killer, pulling off some impressive sprees, and AOC certainly improved throughout the stream. She still has a long way to go before she can call herself a stone cold cosmic killer, though.
"Oh my gosh guys, I can't believe I have to kill people in this," said AOC, running about the spaceship like the world's most reluctant murderer. "I can't kill Poki, she's so nice."
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AOC and Omar didn't just take to the streaming platform to have fun though. The congresswomen also discussed voting and compared healthcare systems with the Twitch streamers, several of who weren't American.
"You go to the doctor and you say 'I have this problem' and then they prescribe you the medicine, and then you just go pick it up. And that's it," said English streamer Hbomberguy. "And then you go home and you google how much it would have cost in America."
The politicians further encouraged viewers to vote, with AOC's Twitch page including a link to IWillVote.com. The fact that voting is a key aspect of Among Us' gameplay helped prompt this discussion, providing AOC regular opportunities to remind viewers to "vote early."
"Make sure that you have your voting plan put together," said AOC, noting that people who have a plan are more likely to vote. She also told viewers who can't vote to encourage those who can to do so. "Figure out if you want to vote early, mail in, in-person, day of. Make your plan and stick to it... Let's all participate in this election and save our democracy!"
You can watch a recording of AOC's stream on Twitch, though a ton of amusing clips are already spreading on Twitter.
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Though they seem to be the most successful politicians on Twitch, AOC and Omar aren't the first to use it to connect with younger voters. Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign streamed several town halls and rallies on Twitch last year, while fellow Democratic candidate Andrew Yang created an account in 2018.
AOC also previously appeared on Twitch in January, joining Hbomberguy to raise money for Mermaids, a charity that supports gender-diverse children. Video games have always been political, but the political sphere is slowly becoming more aware of games, with thousands of people having used Twitch to watch the first Biden-Trump presidential debate.
