Updated April 4, 2026, 9:27 a.m. ET
John F. Kennedy’s grandson, Jack Schlossberg, fired off a flirty fundraising text on Valentine’s Day about someone suggesting he’d be a good partner in an effort to woo potential donors to his New York City congressional campaign.
“Valentine’s Day feels like the right time to bring this up …” the message read with a graphic attached from an obscure social media account.
The colorful graphic was made by Boyfriends We Deserve, the pet project of little-known Democratic strategist Monica Venzke that boasts a dedicated following in Washington as she advocates for attractive political candidates.
The Schlossberg team told supporters over a text message that “a good boyfriend is someone who listens. Same with a good Rep.”
Venzke, 28, wants her party to embrace their deep bench of male political hopefuls who can properly bench press — and objectively beautiful women — as they seek to win back broader support in November.
Venzke told USA TODAY she feels she has a unique opportunity to “try to make it sexy to be a Democrat again,” demonstrating that people can be “hypermasculine and also, like, think that people deserve health care.”
Dems’ hot streak? ‘Trying to get attention to people who deserve it’
Raised in the DC area during the Obama years, Venzke had a front row seat to history. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she found her own seat at the table in politics. She took a traditional route for wide-eyed politicos, working first on Kamala Harris‘ 2020 presidential bid and then Joe Biden’s winning campaign the same year.
Venzke’s career in political communications brought her to the New Hampshire Democratic Party before she joined opposition research group American Bridge 21st Century as a press secretary, later rising to the organization’s House communications director.
But in September, she jokingly launched Boyfriends We Deserve on social media to prop up political candidates with manicured hair — and biographies. Her endorsees include Scranton, Pennsylvania, mayor Paige Cognetti, union-leading smokejumper Sam Forstag in Montana and Tejano singer turned congressional candidate Bobby Pulido.
Boyfriends We Deserve borrows its name from David Hogg’s controversial fundraising arm of a similar name, Leaders We Deserve, that frustrated party insiders in 2025 after the gun-control activist sought to unseat Democratic incumbents.
“I would love for it to become a thing one day,” Venzke said of her future ambitions. “But for now, I just think for like the 2026 cycle at least, just trying to get attention to people who deserve it.”
‘She’s kind of got that … suburban mom hot thing going on’
Venzke has seized on a common theme in the wake of the 2024 election that pitted former Vice President Kamala Harris against now-President Donald Trump: What and who is considered “normal” or “cool.”
The respective campaigns fought to stay cool with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, labeling Trump and Vice President JD Vance “weird” as the Harris campaign courted A-list celebrities. Trump did the same, appearing on popular podcasts hosted by famous men while seeking the support of young male voters.
In Washington, what is “cool” to Venzke also means “hot” and she has added more names to her roster of candidates that make a DC strategist swoon.
Other Venzke selections include muscly TikTok-famous paramedic Bernard Taylor running in a competitive Florida congressional race and in Michigan, redheaded U.S. Senate contender Mallory McMorrow and bearded U.S. House aspirant Kyle Blomquist. Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand — the bow-hunting, gas station pizza-eating state auditor — and Wisconsin Supreme Court hopeful Chris Taylor also grace her list of hotties.
“She’s kind of got that, like, suburban mom hot thing going on,” Venzke said of Judge Taylor.
The steamy trend is catching steam. A viral article in The Bulwark recently explored liberal “thirst traps over think tanks.” Yemisi Egbewole, former chief of staff for the Biden White House press office, told the outlet that “it’s easier to elect hot people.”
“America is a superficial nation, and we want our politicians — especially those that are representing us on an international stage, as the No. 1 world power — to be hot, to look good,” Egbewole continued. Experts say that while the trend of attractiveness in politics raises eyebrows, research shows it doesn’t drastically sway voter opinion.
Mary-Kate Lizotte, an Augusta University political science professor, said that a candidate’s attractiveness is “definitely not one of the most important things” that voters consider at the ballot box.
“I definitely don’t think it’s, you know, one of the No. 1 reasons why someone is voted for,” Lizotte said, noting that “generally, it’s all about party.”
Looks could play a possible factor in swaying voter opinion during primaries, Lizotte said, but the main concern of voters is typically who they think could win a general election.
“Women candidates have a tougher time” navigating the role of appearances if voters have existing sexist beliefs, she said.
‘Democrats can tap into the fun side again’
Other Democrats are considering outward appearances in 2026.
“I want a hot president,” Bravo star turned “I’ve Had It” podcast host Jennifer Welch said of Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff. Even “The Five” from Fox News weighed in: Jesse Watters said he believes Kamala Harris wasn’t “hot.” Vogue magazine assessed in early February that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is “embarrassingly handsome.”
Venzke views Newsom as an early adopter in her campaign to make politics hot. “He taps into it, he posts thirst traps, he posts like old photos of himself,” Venzke said, noting that she believes him leaning into his looks makes him come across more like a 2028 prospect.
“I think Democrats can tap into the fun side again,” she said, pointing to former President Barack Obama as a blueprint. Obama recently teamed up with NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards to squash their fake beef while promoting his Obama Presidential Center opening June 19 in Chicago.
While Venzke noted that nobody can “outdo the doer,” no other Democratic politician has embraced fun like Obama, making the presidency feel more accessible to everyday Americans.
Obama releases annual lists of his favorite works across literature, film and music at the end of each calendar year: His 2025 picks included Ryan Coogler‘s “Sinners,” Grammy breakout star Olivia Dean’s “Nice to Each Other” and his wife Michelle Obama‘s “The Look” book. In his March Madness brackets, Obama has the Arizona Wildcats men defeating the Duke Blue Devils (who have already been upset) and UConn’s women’s team winning it all.
Venzke hopes other Democrats will let loose now, too. “I don’t think my account with 2,000 followers is going to be the future of elections, but … I thought this was funny, so I tried it and I’m having fun,” she said.
(This story was updated with new information.)
