In some states, and for some politicians, the endorsement of the National Rifle Association can mean the world. Now, a Georgia politician—known as the “last remaining” white Democrat in the deep south—is promoting his recent NRA endorsement, and it’s paying dividends on social media.
John Barrow was first elected to Congress in 2004 and currently represents Georgia’s 12th congressional district. Earlier this month, the Democrat was endorsed by the NRA and a video was quickly produced.
“Nobody” has become Barrow’s most popular video on YouTube by thousands of views. As of Monday, it had just less than 40,000 hits, whereas the next most popular had just 3,000. Part of the reason for the video’s popularity is the hot button issue it addresses—guns and the second amendment—but it also gets a boost from Barrow’s folksy personality. It’s a trait that comes through in many of the Democrat’s videos.
The endorsement and video appeared to be changing minds on YouTube.
“I haven’t voted for a (Democrat) in about 30 years but I guess I’m voting for Barrow this time,” wrote Jesse Hinton.
The increased attention from the NRA endorsement and YouTube video paid off this week on Facebook as well. Barrow has gained more than 300 new likes on Facebook in the past week. At the same time, his Republican challenger gained just six. However, it’s clear that Republican Lee Anderson still has the edge on Facebook, with more than 1,000 more likes than the Democrat.
Photo via John Barrow/YouTube