Michigan Democratic congressional candidate Shelby Campbell has explained the motivation behind a viral video in which she twerks while standing on her kitchen counter.
The 32-year-old has faced significant backlash online since posting the clip, with critics using it to argue she reflects poorly on her party.
Campbell, a single mother running to represent Michigan’s 13th Congressional District — covering parts of Detroit and surrounding suburbs — shared the video on TikTok, where it has since drawn millions of views.
Now, she says the post was intended to spark conversation and highlight what she sees as the reality of modern political attention.
“It was meant to get attention, and clearly it worked,” she said in an interview.
The first-time candidate added: “Politics has become a performance whether people want to admit it or not.
“I would rather use that reality to force people to pay attention than sit quietly and pretend the current system is dignified.”
Campbell said she believes many Americans have become desensitized to misogyny online, where women are routinely targeted with harassment and humiliation.
“I responded to people who had already decided to make me the joke,” she confessed, “So I made the joke bigger.”
According to Campbell, the video was meant as satire — a deliberate attempt to use shock and humor to draw eyes to issues she says are often ignored.
The Michigan candidate added: “The video is absolutely a joke. My platform is not.
“It is satire about sexism, online harassment, respectability politics, and the impossible standards women are held to.”
She argues that while the clip is playful on the surface, it points to deeper problems she wants voters to consider.
Campbell said women are frequently sexualized, while systems of power often protect men and place blame elsewhere.
“We blame victims, we protect powerful men,” she added.
On policy, Campbell has said she supports legalizing sex work, while also emphasizing the need to address abuse and coercion within the industry.
“That does not mean ignoring exploitation – it means actually confronting it.”
She also stressed that the broader point of the post was to separate humor from harm, and to keep attention on what she views as serious, ongoing injustices.
Speaking about the powerful message beyond the playful video, she added: “So yes, the video is a joke. But sexism is not a joke. Exploitation is not a joke.
“The way this country treats women and working people is not a joke.”
If elected, Campbell says her priorities would include “universal healthcare, housing as a human right, getting corporate money out of politics, universal basic income,” among other proposals.
Her campaign website describes her as a working-class candidate rather than a traditional career politician.
In a message aimed at voters, she has also spoken candidly about her past and her resilience, saying: “I’ve been to jail. I’ve been judged. And I’ve gotten back up, like so many here.”