| Formation | May 26, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-05-26) |
|---|---|
| Founder | Brandon Straka |
| Purpose | Encouraging liberals to leave theDemocratic Party[1] |
| Location |
|
| Website | www |
The#WalkAway campaign is asocial-media campaign that was launched ahead of theUnited States 2018 mid-term elections with the stated purpose of encouraging voters to leave theDemocratic Party.[2][3] The campaign, which also organized events to supportDonald Trump, was noted and criticized[4] for itsastroturfing methods and the claim that there was a popular movement of people leaving the party.[5][6][7]
In 2021, the group's founder, Brandon Straka, a hairstylist and aspiring actor[8] fromNew York City,[2] participated in the2021 United States Capitol attack. Following this, the group'sFacebook page, which had more than half a million followers, was closed for violations of the site's terms of service.[9]
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The campaign is set up as afoundation and apolitical action committee:
Observers and commentators have raised doubts as to what extent #WalkAway Campaign is an example ofastroturfing rather than a genuinegrassroots movement. Soon after its founding in 2018, WalkAway received a $10,000 (~$12,267 in 2024) donation fromAlex Jones andInfoWars.[14][2][15] In 2019, Straka said WalkAway does not receive major donations and that "everything is grassroots support from Americans who send us $5 or $100."[16] In May 2020,OpenSecrets reported that of the $20,104 donated to WalkAway in 2020, a total of $7,521 was contributed by nine donors who gave $200 or more.[17] One was Straka himself.[better source needed]
In the run-up to the2020 United States presidential election, the WalkAway campaign heldrallies and marches in various cities, an effort to get people to vote for PresidentDonald Trump. In August 2020, the WalkAway campaign held arally inWest Hollywood, California. Nearly 300 demonstrators attended, includingYouTuberJoy Villa. Many held flags and signs supportive of Trump and critical of the Democratic Party.[18] On September 5, the campaign held a rally inDallas, Texas, during which aBlack Lives Matter counter-protester was arrested for misdemeanor assault.[19] On October 3, 2020, Straka held a rally inWashington, D.C.[20] In 2025, the WalkAway Campaign launched the American Restoration Tour to encourage voters to leave theDemocratic Party and support conservative candidates, targeting states likeCalifornia,New Jersey, andVirginia. On April 27, 2025, a rally was held inBeverly Hills, California, with speakers including formerU.S. RepresentativeMatt Gaetz, conservative activistJairo Tomico and musicianCherie Currie. The event aimed to mobilize voters for future elections.[21][22]
| January 6 United States Capitol attack |
|---|
| Timeline •Planning |
| Background |
2020 presidential election and other causes |
| Participants |
|
| Aftermath |
Straka attended the2021 United States Capitol attack and spoke to crowds on January 5 where he referred to the audience as "patriots" and referred repeatedly to a "revolution." He also told the attendees to "fight back" and added, "We are sending a message to the Democrats, we are not going away, you've got a problem!"[23][24]
The next day, he urged protestors to take away a police officer's shield, shouting "Take it away from him" and "Take it! Take it!" Later, as others tried to charge through the entrance to the Capitol, he shouted, "Go! Go!"[24]
On January 8,Facebook closed the #WalkAway page, which had more than half a million followers at the time. The page was replaced with a message from Facebook saying the page had violated its terms of use.[9] The shutdown came in the wake of the Capitol attack, when Facebook and other social media platforms increased their enforcement of terms of service that ban the incitement of violence.[25] Facebook said the page violated a policy on content that was, "hateful, threatening, or obscene".[26]
On January 25, Straka was arrested in Nebraska by theFBI for "impeding law enforcement officers during civil disorder" and unlawful entry into a restricted building, as well as disorderly conduct in relation to his role in the violent disturbance.[24][27] He pleaded guilty to a lessermisdemeanor charge in October 2021, which could be punishable by up to six months in prison, and agreed to provide private social media and other evidence to investigators.[28] Prosecutors postponed Straka's December 2021 sentencing for thirty days to evaluate evidence he had provided.[29] Straka was later sentenced to three yearsprobation for his role in the Capitol riot.[30][31][32]
Straka attended theConservative Political Action Conference in 2022, where he appeared in a cage wearing an orange jumpsuit despite never serving time in jail for the Capitol attack. At one point U.S. RepresentativeMarjorie Taylor Greene entered the cage and prayed with him.[33] He also made an appearance atCPAC 2023; alongside fellow riotersDerrick Evans andSimone Gold, he was a speaker at a session titled "True Stories of January 6: The Prosecuted Speak".[34]
In January 2025, Straka waspardoned, along with others convicted for their Jan. 6 offenses, by President Donald Trump on the first day ofhis second presidency.[35]
In 2018, David A. Love ofCNN condemned the campaign as "purepropaganda [and] a psychological operation."[36]
That same year, Abby Ohlheiser wrote inThe Washington Post, "There's little actual evidence to suggest that #WalkAway represents a mass conversion of millions – or even thousands – of Democrats" and contrasted the broad appeal of trueviral videos with the "Conservative Internet viral" nature of the WalkAway video.[37]ThinkProgress characterized the campaign as "a grifting operation," noting efforts by the organizers to sell dinner packages priced in the hundreds of dollars to march attendees.[38]
Slate journalistMark Joseph Stern accused Straka of presenting royalty-freestock images fromShutterstock and claiming they were of people who had left the Democratic Party,[39] though Straka denied that any such material originated from the WalkAway campaign.Fact-checking websiteSnopes stated that it could not determine whether this use of stock images had originated from campaign organizers.[40]
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