Stacey Abrams Campaign Rented TikTok ‘Hype House’ Before Running Out Of Cash

Stacey Abrams Campaign Rented TikTok ‘Hype House’ Before Running Out Of Cash

The campaign of former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams rented an extravagant home as a “hype house” backdrop for making TikToks before running out of cash, several staffers told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Abrams’ campaign now faces about $1 million in debt despite raising more than $100 million for the 2022 gubernatorial race; the campaign had to suddenly cut off pay for many staffers and drastically cut its ad spending in the final stretch of the race. On top of its massive ad spending, the campaign rented a five-bedroom home to serve as a “hype house” for TikTok videos, according to the AJC.

“It’s incredibly bad planning, and it shows where their values are at,” a senior Democratic official anonymously told the AJC of the spending. “You can’t look up one day and realize you can’t pay the bills.” The phrase “hype house” originally referred to a luxury California home in which several young TikTok stars lived together and produced social media content beginning in 2019.

The Abrams’ campaign’s hype house, which is currently listed for $12,500 per month, sat largely vacant throughout the campaign, and at some point staffers began using it as a makeshift office space, staffers told the AJC. The staffers also pointed to a “swag truck” and pop-up shop giving out free merchandise as sources of waste with no clear strategy behind them. “They probably thought they could keep raising money all the way through November,” a former staffer told the AJC. “And they misplayed that badly.”

Abrams outraised her rival, Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, by $8 million and lost by nine points.

Abrams did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.