August 22, 2024

CHICAGO — It’s just behind a black curtain, but it seems like it’s going to be another world.

On the ground floor of the United Center, amid throngs of delegates and press pushing past one another to get to the floor or to meetings or events around the Democratic National Convention grounds, there’s a small area guarded by a DNC staffer that’s clearly demarcated as separate from the other proceedings: The “Creator Lounge.”

It’s reserved for the 200 some influencers who were credentialed by the DNC to cover the event and — in large part — to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris or warn their followers about the dangers of former President Donald Trump. Journalists and delegates, crowding the halls, have been peering through cracks in the curtain at what they imagine is a glamorous, exclusive space only available to people with a track record of going viral on social media.

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