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KAT ABUGHAZALEH KNOWS how to create viral moments online. She’s an old pro, in fact, capable of posting clips of herself that can rack up millions of views. But engineering attention in the physical world is a decidedly different challenge—one that Abughazaleh was struggling to solve on an overcast afternoon in July.
The 26-year-old, who is running for Congress in Illinois, was sitting outside her campaign headquarters in Chicago, trying to connect with prospective voters during the area’s annual taco crawl. Some people were stopping to chat, but others hurried along in search of their next carnitas fix. On the internet, Abughazaleh can precision-edit a video to maximize eyeballs. On Clark Street, a busy thoroughfare that cuts across the city’s northeastern neighborhoods, she had to convince people cruising for excellent Mexican food that she was worth delaying their next bite.
