Key West – Pokemon and Politics

Democrat Dan Horton’s campaign for the State House of Representatives in District 120 is getting in on the Pokemon Go craze. On Saturday, his campaign used the game to attract something even more elusive than rare pokemon…young voters.

Horton used in-game items (appropriately called “lures”) to attract nearby players to his event. By using the item, nearby players were able to see Horton’s location on their smartphones and follow the beacon to his event location in Bay View Park. Once there, players were able to catch rare pokemon that were also attracted to the lures.

Horton contacted members of the Facebook group “Pokemon Go Key West” to let them know that the event would take place. Many of the group members dropped by to catch pokemon and meet the candidate. “It was a great opportunity to build relationships with new voters and to connect with members of the Key West community,” Horton said. “We are running this campaign to give the members of District 120 a voice. We have been ignored in Tallahassee for too long.”

Horton also invited the Florida Keys Democrats to get in on the action. A representative of the group was on site to register new voters that happened to visit the event. Young voters are likely to be a key voting bloc in the heated Presidential race, as well as local and state races.

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