All of them belong to a class of high-level freshmen that includes a record number of women and minorities for the Chamber’s GOP. And with its diverse origins and already impressive Twitter followers, the Force could have an enormous impact as Republicans seek to retake the Chamber in 2022 – mainly because some are eager to fight directly with the Squad.
Some incoming lawmakers already have star power in the GOP; Kim and Steel were chosen to campaign in the runoff run for the Georgia Senate, where they hope to attract rapidly diversifying communities in the Atlanta suburbs that have begun to lean towards Democrats.
“I want to be different. I don’t want it to be the same as always. This is a new Republican Party, ”said elected representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, the first woman to graduate from The Citadel. “We have to be different if we are to survive and succeed in the long term.”
As members of the Force build their political and social media brands, they are taking hints from an unlikely but familiar source: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez squad leader.
The New York Democrat offered a plan for how freshmen, who normally have little power in the halls of Congress, can still exert influence by leveraging their loyal base. The squadron also includes representatives Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar from Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib from Michigan.
Many members of the GOP Force – who, like Squad, are mostly young people and women – have even adopted the political style of drawing the Ocasio-Cortez curtain. Ocasio-Cortez is known for posting videos while preparing meals while casually discussing publicly available legislation.
Mace recently documented his journey through freshman orientation, which included getting lost in the Capitol building and running through the campus. Salazar, who is credited with coining the nickname of Force, posted a photo of the female group members with the caption: “We are all working mothers and we are a real STRENGTH to be recognized!”
And earlier this summer, Salazar, a former Telemundo journalist, obtained almost 600,000 views in one Twitter video in which she taped herself in Goya’s aisle at a supermarket criticizing Ocasio-Cortez for pushing a boycott of the company for his leadership’s support for Trump.
“Like many things with branding, it started to stick,” said elected deputy Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) of the group’s nickname. “I think the whole class is Freedom Force.”
Asked about the GOP’s incorporation of some of its own messaging tactics, Ocasio-Cortez said: “Imitation is a high form of flattery, right? So, I’m glad they think that way of me. “