Jagmeet Singh And AOC Set To Stream Among Us On Twitch On Friday

It might be the most ambitious crossover event in North American left-wing political video gaming. 

After hinting a month ago that he might join the streaming revolution , federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is set to stream the video game “Among Us” on Twitch Friday night. And he will be joined by New York Representative Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez , fresh off her own record-breaking Twitch stream. 

Singh confirmed to HuffPost Canada that the popular U.S. representative will be joining him Friday evening. 

“It’s an honour, I’m excited,” he said. “[She’s] someone who’s been the head of a movement in the States that’s really given a lot of people a lot of hope, and she’s fighting for people that need champions for them like everyday folks and young people, immigrants.”

Ocasio-Cortez broke Twitch streaming records in October when she played the popular game alongside streamers like Hasanabi — who will join the Singh stream Friday — and fellow representative Democrat Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Singh is set to be the first major Canadian politician to try to replicate AOC’s success with the popular game.

Inspired by classic party games like “Mafia” and “Werewolf,”  “Among Us” players take on the role of crewmates on an outer space mission. A number of players are imposters set on killing everyone else one-by-one. The rest of the crewmates must work together to figure out who the imposters are, often deeming those who seem suspicious as “sus”.

Ocasio-Cortez’s Oct. 20 stream was watched by more than 400,000 viewers at a time for a total of 4.8 million views. She used the event to promote voter registration efforts ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

Singh said he’s done a few “dry runs” of the game ahead of Friday’s stream, but he knows Ocasio-Cortez is a pro.

“I’m looking forward to calling out if she has any “sus” movements and be like, ’Wait a second, maybe she is the imposter,” Singh said. 

Singh says his stream’s goal is to reach young people and talk about student debt and raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hr, as well as public health measures around the pandemic. 

“In this difficult time, we have to find a way to connect and I’m hoping this is another way to connect with people,” he said. “We’re feeling a little sad right now and another way to talk about how important it is to connect and not feel isolated.”

Bringing in Ocasio-Cortez and other popular streamers will hopefully attract a broad audience for the stream, the NDP leader said. Singh himself has been active on social media platforms like Twitter and TikTok , and says this is an extension of that strategy for reaching young people.

“Social media has been a big part of my communications, because it is a way to speak to people where people are,” he said.

And while he ruled out streaming with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Singh said he hopes to use the platform to engage with other progressive voices across Canada.

“I hope to use the platform again and use it as a way to be just some, some entertainment to people — something kind of fun and enjoyable experience but also a way to chat about important things,” he said. 

Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to HuffPost Canada’s request for comment on the event. 
It all goes down on Singh’s official Twitch channel Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT .