Meet EJ, the 22-Year-Old TikTok Creator Who Had Young Voters Paying Attention

Somebody Get This Young Man His Flowers! Meet EJ, the 22-Year-Old TikTok Creator Who Had Young Voters Paying Attention

322,900 Followers. 25.8 Million Likes. One Very Blue Election. And a Young Man Who Isn't Finished Yet.

Let me tell y'all something. I have been watching a lot of political conversations unfold lately, and somewhere between the election coverage, the campaign promises, the arguments in the comment sections, and people suddenly remembering that voting is, in fact, a thing, one particular young man caught my attention.

His name is EJ.

And before we go any further, somebody needs to get this little motherfucker his flowers!

I'm serious.

Because while some people were busy arguing with strangers on the internet, EJ was busy building a platform, talking politics, encouraging people to pay attention, and getting young folks involved in a conversation that affects every last one of us.

Now, I know what some of y'all are thinking. Another TikTok political commentator? Oh, here we go.

No, baby. Hold on. Let's not do that just yet.

Because when I tell you this young man has numbers, I mean he has NUMBERS.

I'm talking approximately 322,900 followers and 25.8 MILLION likes on TikTok, according to his profile on November 4, 2026.

Twenty-five million likes!

Listen, I have written enough stories to know that getting somebody to stop scrolling long enough to read a paragraph is an accomplishment all by itself. This young man has people stopping to watch, listen, react, and engage with his content.

And he's only 22 years old.

Let that sink in.

Meet Ernesto Guillaume Jr., better known to his TikTok audience as EJ, the Brooklyn, New York, creator behind the account @ej.1728, whose profile name is EJ – Republican's D1 Hater 💙.

Now, that username alone tells me we're probably not going to have a boring conversation.

And honestly? I'm here for it.

Who Is EJ, and Why Should We Be Paying Attention?

According to his pinned introductory video, EJ identifies himself as Ernesto Guillaume Jr., a 22-year-old from Brooklyn, New York.

His TikTok bio describes him as an activist, neighborhood-watch participant, parody creator, and actor. He also makes a point of showing his support for Black women.

In other words, this isn't somebody whose entire personality begins and ends with politics.

There's entertainment, there's commentary, there's community, and there's a young man using social media to establish his own identity.

And that's something I think people sometimes overlook when discussing younger creators.

We have an entire generation of people who grew up with a phone in their hands, information coming at them from every direction, and the ability to communicate with thousands of people without ever stepping in front of a television camera.

They aren't necessarily waiting for a news anchor to tell them what happened.

They're finding people they want to listen to, creators whose personalities they connect with, and voices that make complicated subjects feel a little more accessible.

EJ has managed to build an audience in that environment.

And judging by the numbers on his profile, people aren't exactly having trouble finding him.

This Isn't Just Somebody Posting Political Memes

One thing that caught my attention when looking through EJ's profile was his collection of pinned videos.

His introductory video, which identifies him and references the 2026 midterm election, had approximately 345,800 views in the screenshot I reviewed.

Another pinned video had reached approximately TWO MILLION views.

Yes, two million.

That video discusses political developments involving the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That's a pretty substantial audience for a conversation about international politics.

Another pinned video had approximately 670,500 views.

And then there's the election content.

One video celebrating historic electoral milestones showed approximately 409,000 views. Another election-related post showed approximately 103,600 views.

These aren't numbers I'm pulling out of thin air. They're the view counts displayed on the TikTok profile screenshot taken November 4.

Now, I don't know about y'all, but when I see somebody building that kind of audience, I want to know what they're doing, what they're saying, and what made people start paying attention.

Because let's be honest: The internet is crowded as hell.

Everybody has an opinion. Everybody has a camera. Everybody has something to say.

Getting noticed is one thing. Getting people to come back is another.

EJ appears to have found an audience that wants to hear more.

And that deserves a closer look.

EJ and the Young People Who Showed Up

Now, let's get into the part that really made me want to write this story.

THE VOTING.

If there's one thing I want people to understand, it's that young people are not supposed to be sitting on the sidelines of American politics.

They have just as much right to be concerned about what's happening in this country as anybody else. Their education, their jobs, their housing, their healthcare, their rights, and their futures are all connected to decisions being made by elected officials.

And somebody needs to keep reminding them of that.

EJ has been using his platform to put election conversations in front of a younger audience. His election-focused content, including his pinned introductory video, makes that interest clear.

I especially want to recognize the importance of reaching people who are voting for the first time or who may not have previously paid much attention to midterm elections.

Because presidential elections aren't the only elections that matter.

Your governor matters. Your state legislators matter. Your representatives matter. Your local elections matter.

The people making decisions about your neighborhood, your schools, your taxes, and your community aren't always the people whose names are plastered across national television.

Sometimes the most consequential decisions are happening much closer to home.

And if creators like EJ can get younger people interested enough to start researching candidates, checking registration, discussing issues, and showing up at the polls, that's a conversation worth celebrating.

I cannot tell you that every young person who voted did so because of EJ. We don't have independent numbers proving that.

But I can recognize the effort to get people involved, and I can recognize that his platform gives him an opportunity to reach an audience that traditional political coverage doesn't always reach.

That's important.

And Then Came November 3, 2026

Well, well, well.

What a night.

The November 3 midterm elections gave Americans plenty to talk about, and Democrats had some significant victories to celebrate.

But here's another reason I wanted to include EJ in this conversation.

According to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, its preliminary analysis of the 2026 youth vote found that approximately 71% of voters ages 18–29 supported Democratic candidates for the U.S. House, compared with approximately 25% supporting Republican candidates.

That's a substantial difference.

And before somebody starts yelling at the screen, those numbers represent the political preferences of young voters who cast ballots. They do not mean 71% of all young Americans voted, nor do they establish how many were influenced by any individual creator.

We have to get those distinctions right.

But the findings do tell us something worth discussing: Young voters were an important part of the political story this election cycle.

And EJ has been putting himself right in the middle of conversations about getting those voters involved.

That's why I think his story deserves more attention.

Not because he needs to agree with everything I believe. Not because everybody watching his videos has to share his political opinions.

But because a young person is building a platform around subjects that affect the future of his generation.

And instead of dismissing that because he's 22, perhaps we should be paying attention to what he's building.

Gen Z, Baby! And They Came With Opinions!

Now, let me make sure I have my generations straight because apparently, every time I turn around, somebody has invented another name for an age group.

EJ is Generation Z.

At 22, he's part of a generation that has never known a world without the internet being a major part of everyday life.

And that's relevant.

The way this generation communicates is different. The way it discovers information is different. The way it engages with public figures and political conversations is different.

You don't necessarily have to wait for a scheduled television appearance to hear somebody's opinion anymore.

You can open TikTok and hear a 22-year-old from Brooklyn discussing an election, a political development overseas, or something happening in the country.

You might agree with him. You might disagree with him. You might even find yourself in the comments arguing your position.

But you're participating in a conversation.

And that's part of what makes digital creators interesting.

They aren't necessarily working within the traditional rules of journalism or political broadcasting. They are developing their own audiences and communicating in ways that feel familiar to the people watching.

Of course, with that comes responsibility.

Political information should be accurate. Claims should be checked. And just because somebody has a million views doesn't mean everything coming out of their mouth is automatically factual.

But we shouldn't confuse the need for accountability with a reason to dismiss young voices.

EJ has an audience, and that audience is worth taking seriously.

Let's Talk About That Blue Checkmark!

Now, EJ, I have one more thing to discuss.

That little blue checkmark!

Because apparently, our young man wants TikTok to give him his verification badge.

And listen, I understand wanting that recognition.

Building a social media presence takes work. Developing an audience takes consistency. Getting people interested in what you're posting takes more than uploading a video and hoping the algorithm wakes up in a good mood.

TikTok verification is designed to confirm that an account belongs to the person or organization it represents. It is not a political endorsement or a guarantee that everything somebody posts is accurate.

But it can help establish an authentic public identity.

And with the audience EJ has already built, I understand why he wants to reach that milestone.

TikTok has its own verification criteria, including authenticity, uniqueness, activity, and compliance with its rules.

So, no, 25.8 million likes don't automatically mean somebody gets handed a blue checkmark.

But I certainly think his growing platform makes the conversation worth having.

And if he gets it, I hope he celebrates that accomplishment.

Because sometimes people work hard to build something, and it's perfectly reasonable to want that work recognized.

But EJ, What Comes Next?

Here's where I really want to know more about this young man.

Because I don't want this to be just another article celebrating a big follower count.

I want to know the person behind the account.

What got him interested in politics in the first place?

Was there a particular moment when he realized he wanted to use his platform to speak about political issues?

Did he always envision himself building an audience this large?

What was it like watching his videos reach hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of viewers?

And what does he want to do with that influence?

Does he see himself becoming a full-time political commentator? Does he want to expand his activism? Is entertainment still going to be a major part of his brand?

There are so many directions this could go.

And that's why I would love to hear directly from EJ.

His profile gives us a glimpse of his interests, but his own words deserve to be part of the story.

At 22, he has time to grow, experiment, learn, and take his platform in directions he may not even have imagined yet.

The important thing is that he's building something.

And I hope he understands that the numbers aren't the only thing worth celebrating.

The conversations matter, too.

Somebody Really Does Need to Give This Young Man His Flowers

Listen, I spend a lot of time writing about people, places, events, and things happening in this country.

I know how easy it is for somebody's work to go unnoticed until the rest of the world finally catches up.

And I also know that sometimes recognition comes after somebody has already put in the work.

That's why I wanted to shine a little light on EJ.

Not because he has a blue checkmark. Not because he's a celebrity. Not because he's some established television personality with a production team and a publicist.

He's a 22-year-old creator from Brooklyn who has built an audience of more than 322,000 followers and accumulated 25.8 million likes on TikTok.

He's putting political conversations in front of a younger generation, highlighting issues beyond American party politics, and building an online identity that combines activism, entertainment, and commentary.

That's worth recognizing.

And here's what I hope happens next: I hope he continues developing his voice, continues learning, continues checking his information, and continues finding ways to make his platform meaningful.

I hope he gets opportunities to take what he's building beyond a TikTok screen.

And yes, I hope TikTok gives him that blue checkmark if he meets its requirements.

But most importantly, I hope he realizes that he doesn't have to wait for a social media company to validate the fact that he's built something people are paying attention to.

Because 25.8 million likes is not exactly a quiet little accomplishment.

So, EJ, from one writer who appreciates people using their platforms to tell stories to a young creator who has clearly found an audience:

Keep going.

Keep talking.

Keep making people pay attention.

And don't let anybody convince you that you're too young to have a voice.

Now, can somebody please get this young man his flowers? Because that blue checkmark might still be pending, but the attention is already there. 💙