If you’re active on social media, chances are you’ve stumbled upon Scott Presler’s accounts.
Presler is a conservative activist who travels across the country to “America’s most dangerous and dirtiest cities picking up trash in an act of love” and to register first-time voters for Republican candidates.
He shot to wider prominence last year after organizing a clean-up event in Baltimore largely inspired by President Trump’s remarks about Charm City—a city he dubbed a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”
As of this writing, his Twitter account boasts an impressive 738,000 follower count. And there’s a reason people, Democrats and Republicans alike, are following him.
I recently sat down with Scott in Fairfax, Virginia, to talk about his get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts.
Obama’s Re-Election Inspired the Former Dog Walker to Get Involved
Presler’s activism began right after college graduation.
After completing his studies at George Mason University, he— like many others out there—struggled to secure stable employment. It was a dog walking job that served as a turning point for him.
To my surprise, Presler admitted his foray into conservative activism was inspired by former President Barack Obama.
“It was President Obama who inspired me but to become a community organizer on the right side,” Presler emphasized. “I think I’m most known for my Twitter account, and I created my Twitter account the day that President Obama was re-elected in 2012. Not because I was really angry at the president, but I was angry at myself.”
“Where was I registering voters? Where was I knocking on doors and soliciting donations and getting out the vote? And the answer is I was only a voter. I wasn’t an active participant in our democratic republic.”
The solution? Presler got involved in the Republican Party of Virginia in 2013 during statewide elections—the last year Republicans controlled the Governor’s Mansion here in the Commonwealth.
In 2014, he temporarily relocated to Texas to help elect now-Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX). Afterwards, he spent two years working to defeat Hillary Clinton.