Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are breaking new ground in the election campaign: they are using their own Fortnite map “Freedom Town” to specifically target the votes of the gaming community.
Kamala Harris is campaigning for young voters in Fortnite
In the final stretch of the US presidential election campaign, Democratic candidates Kamala Harris, the incumbent Vice President, and Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota, are breaking new ground in their bid to reach young voters: they have released their own map in Fortnite. Starting today, just one week before the election, the map “Freedom Town, USA” is available to players. This initiative marks the most political use of Fortnite since the game’s 2015 release.
- The map, accessible via code 733155366547, directly addresses the Harris/Walz team’s key campaign promises. Freedom Town was designed with elements that represent the Democratic platform: support for small businesses, first-time home buyer incentives, and affordable housing expansion. Through this virtual town, the campaign hopes to appeal to a broader, younger electorate while offering players a fun introduction to their policy goals. A short trailer shows the game environment and some characters dressed in patriotic attire, which rounds out the immersive experience.
- Additionally, the Harris/Walz campaign is supporting the project by engaging well-known Fortnite streamers such as Jordan “Huskerss” Thomas, MODELMORG, Himalyahs and Khairi “Kdot” Harris for dedicated broadcasts from Freedom Town. By involving popular Fortnite Youtubers, the Democrats hope to gain even more attention and reach in the gaming community.
Fortnite map: The role of Tim Walz and the reactions of the competition
While Kamala Harris herself has little connection to the world of video games, Tim Walz, her partner on the ballot, shows a strong interest in gaming, especially retro gaming. In a recent appearance with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, he played the old Sega Dreamcast game Crazy Taxi – a tribute to his youth. Surprisingly, he was integrated by a developer into a special Crazy Taxi mod, in which he appears as a playable character. This return to his gaming hobby gives Walz a certain authenticity that resonates with gaming-savvy voters.
- On the Republican side, there has been no comparable response so far. The Trump/Vance campaign has not launched its own Fortnite project, leaving the Harris/Walz team’s initiative as the only one in the room at the moment. With just one week to go before the election, it remains to be seen whether the Republicans will develop a corresponding counterpart to appeal to the gaming community.
- This unusual method of using gaming as a communication platform for political messages could set a precedent for future campaigns.
- The British BBC also tried to make political education fun this year: information about the British elections was also available in the video game Roblox.
