ATLANTA — A Georgia 22-year-old garnered attention across social media by singing along to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" during Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign rally on Tuesday night.
Parker Short was jumping up and down energetically to the music, holding a sign, following Megan Thee Stallion's performance.
But to Short, seeing celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo was just a bonus -- he wanted to see Kamala Harris.
"I was excited for the next president of the United States, Kamala Harris," Short recalled. "I can't wait for what she's going to do."
Harris has been the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee since President Joe Biden ended his campaign for re-election. The party's presidential candidate will be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in August. That candidate will then face off against former Republican President Donald Trump come November.
But Short is no stranger to the Democratic party or politics. When he was 18, he was able to be a delegate for Biden in 2020 and will be one again this year, he said.
"There is not an election that I will not get excited about," he stated.
Short is the Georgia Young Democrats president. He started his political journey at 15 with Sen. Jon Ossoff's first congressional campaign. He said he's been to many political rallies and seen many campaigns.
"I've seen a lot of candidates, and there are very few like that of Kamala Harris," Short said. "She really cares, and it's being reflected in the campaign. You look at how she's appealing to young people; you look at that rally last night, and it was electric."
He said he wasn't expecting to essentially go viral for dancing at a campaign rally but believes it's a good opportunity to elevate the work of the Georgia Young Democrats. He said they have thousands of members across the state, from high schoolers to college student chapters.
"That is my authentic self," he said about the social media video. "I'm just a real excitable guy."
He said he's excited to support Kamala Harris and described her as compassionate and personal. He said she is a strong messenger and has appreciated her outreach to young voters.
Short recalled being at an office opening for President Joe Biden in Henry County when the news broke that he was dropping out of the race. The Georgia Young Democrats president immediately took the initiative to bring energy back into the room and unify others.
"The room gets a little unsettled, and I stood up, and I just, I'm a yeller. I have a lot of energy, and I screamed at everybody," Short recalled. "I was like, 'Look, we're gonna use this office to elect Democrats up and down the ballot.'"
In general, the 22-year-old's dedication and passion for politics started early -- and came from personal experience.
"I lost my dad when I was young," Short stated. "I've seen the power of good government programs like social security and Medicaid."
Many other issues are important to him, including labor unions, criminal justice reform, foreign policy, and local and state government.
But the bottom line is that the issues motivate him. He said the most important thing for people to do is to look past politics and toward policy solutions.
Parker is encouraging all young voters to be engaged and to know that they can make a difference.
"We have to win, we have to fight, and we have to protect our future," Parker stated.
