Annie Wu Henry ’18: Fetterman Senate Campaign's TikTok Phenom

The most viewed TikTok on U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s account is a 2022 video clip from his race against Dr. Mehmet Oz, who, at the time, was defending himself from criticisms that he was not from Pennsylvania. “I grew up just south of Philadelphia,” Oz says.

The video cuts to a map of Philadelphia, then pans south to show New Jersey. A music mashup featuring Smash Mouth’s “All Star” plays, “Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me, I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed.”

The post received nearly a half million “likes” and was viewed over 4 million times.

It was the brainchild of Annie Wu Henry ’18, whose social media efforts for Fetterman’s successful Senate campaign have brought her national attention, leading to a 1,700-word profile in The New York Times and a Q&A with Slate.

 

 

 

 

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Henry assisted the Fetterman campaign both online and off, but her most significant contributions came via TikTok, running an account that grew to more than 241,000 followers and produced videos that exceeded a total of 3.5 million likes.

“Annie is a quintessential self-starter constantly working hard to make measurable impact,” says Matt Veto, journalism teaching assistant professor at Lehigh and faculty adviser of The Brown and White. “At the paper, she ran our social media accounts her senior year and basically tripled our Instagram following and engagement in mere months. Her professional success is a testament to her determination and skill.”

 

 

 

 

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“I always saw her flexibility and open-minded pursuit of impact as enabling her to get the most out of Lehigh because she had things she wanted to know before deciding how to act,” Littau says. In following her work on the Fetterman campaign, he says, he was reminded of the questions she asked in her research. “So her success doesn't surprise me, given how much thought and care she put into preparing the road she was about to travel.”

One of her thesis findings was that people can’t differentiate between what they know of someone online and what the person is like in real life. In essence then, she says, what people post becomes part of their identity.

A large part of the Fetterman campaign focused on the candidate’s authenticity and values, she says, and that had to coincide with the picture painted online.

Overall, Henry says, the Fetterman campaign didn’t have a singular moment that defined its message; it consistently produced moments online. She says the staff also made sure the people engaging with the campaign felt they were being seen and heard. Online content was created specifically for each platform.

“I didn't want it to just feel like a campaign ad, or a ploy to get people to donate,” Henry says. “It was really to showcase who this campaign was—John—and what it stood for, and be fun.”

‘THE RIGHT DECISION’

 

 

 

 

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Henry is taking her time deciding on her next adventure, but receiving opportunities. She was invited to a viewing party of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address by the White House, where she live-tweeted from @Annie_Wu_22, got a surprise visit from the first lady and was among the first to greet Biden when he returned after the address.

“I don't want to pick a job just because this is what's going to look the best on a resume, or this is the job because it pays the most money,” she says. “I want to do something because I really care about it and believe in it and think I can make an impact there."