Perhaps you, like millions of others, have seen the video of a young man dancing to “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar at the July 30 Kamala Harris campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia. That’s incredibly likely, considering that multiple videos of him have individually racked up anywhere from 5.8 million views to 8.3 million views, as well as recently being posted to the Kamala HQ TikTok page. The guy seemingly came out of nowhere, so one might be inclined to say he just fell out of a coconut tree — however, that is not the case. (I mean, after all, we all exist in the context!)
The young man in the videos, later identified as Parker Short of Georgia, has actually been involved in the Democratic party for years. (He even has political Instagram posts dating back to 2017, which was seven years ago, wild!) And now that his dance moves have brought him into the public eye, you can probably expect to hear a lot more from him going forward.
Upon his recent virality, Short created a TikTok account for himself, which has already garnered more than 41,000 followers and steadily climbing in just a few short days. However, he has prefaced a few of his most recent posts by saying “I’m not good at TikTok,” instead directing followers to his IG account.
Short is using his newfound platform to talk about education in his home state of Georgia, motivating the youth to vote, and supporting Democratic candidates in the upcoming election. Short was also recently interviewed on MSNBC to discuss the culture of the Democratic party, saying, “We’re a big tent and we’re here to let people in and lift people up.”
Here’s what else to know about this rising political star.
Parker Short is making a name for himself in politics.
Short is the president of the Young Democrats of Georgia, a title he proudly displays on both his TikTok and Instagram bio. He recently spoke at the Voters of Tomorrow Summit in Atlanta on July 26 and 27, and will be attending the upcoming Young Democrats of Georgia Convention at Georgia Tech from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1. Short consistently speaks out about issues such as reproductive rights, education, voting rights, and more, and he has been very open about where this passion for Democratic politics came from. In that same MSNBC interview, he explains how, following the death of his father, he witnessed the support and financial help offered by his father’s labor union which “helped save [his] family from hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt.” This helped him realize his desire to get involved to help others, stating his belief that the Democratic party is “in it together” in order for “all of our kids to have a better future,” per his MSNBC interview.
He’s a recent grad from the University of Michigan.
Short is a recent graduate of the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, ending his time as a member of the class of 2024 this past May. Recently, the Ford School Instagram account posted about Short’s MSNBC interview, clearly very proud of its alum.
Next up, Short will be attending the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy until 2026. But meanwhile, he also seems to be continuing his momentum as a voice for progressive Gen Zers. To many, this viral moment from Short represents the hope many young voters are starting to feel about the 2024 election. Who knew a Kendrick Lamar diss track could contribute to that?