Getty
Within hours of Beto O’Rourke’s announcement that he was ending his presidential campaign, his subreddit was gone. Trolls descended on the subreddit: a mixture of happy Donald Trump supporters and inquisitive supporters of other Democrats who wanted Beto supporters to turn to them. But it became too much for the people running Beto 2020, and they shut down the subreddit, making it private. They have since brought the subreddit back, but only in a limited form. Here’s a look at what happened and where you can go now if you want to talk about Beto O’Rourke on Reddit.
The Beto 2020 Subreddit Shut Down within Hours of His Announcement
It didn’t take long before the Beto 2020 subreddit that served as the hub for discussion of his presidential campaign was shut down. Immediately after the announcement, people flooded to the subreddit to share their heartache. But before long, the community they wanted to visit to comfort one another was closed to them.
Here are some of the posts they left.
For some, it was difficult to see the community they spent so much time in and wanted to turn to for reflection gone before they could have a discussion about what happened.
One person even shared what shirt the campaign had planned to sell next.
And one commented about seeing trolls in the subreddit.
Although the moderators did not share just why they shut down the subreddit so quickly, speculation spread that it was because of Trump supporters descending on the subreddit to gloat, while supporters of other candidates were making posts urging people to support their choice.
There were no messages shared about why the subreddit was being taken down. Supporters only saw error messages when they went to visit like these.
Some people were not happy about how quickly the subreddit was taken down.
And others who didn’t like O’Rourke were talking about how quickly it was taken down.
Now the subreddit is back, but in a very limited form. It’s restricted, so you can comment on posts that are already up, but you can’t make any new submissions.
The only message left for supporters was this one left by a moderator:
I’d like to thank all the supporters and volunteers that helped to make this subreddit a vibrant community. I’d also like to thank all the moderators that devoted countless hours to this subreddit. It is much appreciated.
Please support the Democratic candidate of your choice in any way that you can. Trump is a threat to our democracy.
r/Beto2020 is now closed.”
Supporters can leave replies, but new submissions aren’t accepted.
Some supporters are sad that they can’t post anymore.
Some supporters are now going to r/BetoORourke to discuss all things related to Beto. The subreddit is here.
The subreddit’s description reads: “We are a grassroots, online hub designed to discuss all things Beto O’Rourke including but not limited to his policies, events, and more. While we aim to promote a vibrant and healthy political discussion, we also recognize that this subreddit is primarily an organizing tool for Beto supporters. Any post with the deliberate aim of disrupting or dismantling this subreddit’s purpose will be removed and repeat offenders may be banned at the discretion of the moderators.”
One person already has a post asking what’s next for supporters.
This subreddit doesn’t have the same interaction as the other, but it’s a good place for supporters to go who still want to talk about Beto. Unfortunately, it’s harder to find. If you search for Beto O’Rourke communities on Reddit, it appears near the top, but only after The_Donald subreddit’s listing.