WalkAway campaign

The correct title of this article is #WalkAway campaign. The omission of the # is due to technical restrictions.
"WalkAway" redirects here. For other uses, see Walk Away.
#WalkAway campaign
FormationMay 26, 2018; 6 years ago (2018-05-26)
FounderBrandon Straka
PurposeEncouraging liberals to leave the Democratic Party[1]
Location
  • United States, Canada
Websitewww.walkawaycampaign.com

The #WalkAway campaign is a social-media campaign that was launched ahead of the United States 2018 mid-term elections with the stated purpose of encouraging voters to leave the Democratic Party.[2][3] The campaign, which also organized events to support Donald Trump, was noted and criticized[4] for its astroturfing methods and the claim that there was a popular movement of people leaving the party.[5][6][7]

In 2021, the group's founder, Brandon Straka, a hairstylist from New York City,[2] was charged with and convicted of participating in the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[8][9] Following this, the group's Facebook page, which had more than half a million followers, was closed for violations of the site's terms of service.[10]

  1. ^ "About". #WalkAway Campaign. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  2. ^ a b FitSimons, Tim (August 21, 2018). "Meet Brandon Straka, a gay former liberal encouraging others to #WalkAway from Democrats". NBC News. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  3. ^ Richardson, Davis (September 13, 2018). "#WalkAway Founder Is Latest to Spread 'Facebook Ban' Disinformation". observer.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Fernandez, Nick (October 2, 2018). "Fox & Friends hosts founder of astroturfed #WalkAway "movement" who has appeared on Infowars". Media Matters for America. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Russian Bots Linked To Viral Twitter Attacks On 'Hateful' Dems". HuffPost. July 8, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Pro-Trump & Russian-Linked Twitter Accounts Are Posing As Ex-Democrats In New Astroturfed Movement". June 28, 2020. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Analysis | The #WalkAway meme is what happens when everything is viral and nothing matters". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Cooper, Alex (December 20, 2021). "Convicted Gay Trump Ally Brandon Straka Cooperating With Authorities". www.gaycitynews.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Anderson, Jake (August 24, 2023). "Omaha man convicted for role in Jan. 6 riot will not have probation ended early". KETV. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference facebookBan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).