In 2022, Olivia Julianna raised millions in abortion funds in response to Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL.) fat-shaming her. The move catapulted her into the political scene, solidifying her place as a major Gen Z voice. Since then, she’s gained a massive following on TikTok often telling her 645,000 followers what they need to know about politics and how to get involved. She’s a vocal advocate for abortion rights and LGBTQ+ issues, often using her platform to speak on issues important to her generation.
On November 17, Julianna will turn 21 and to celebrate her birthday, we asked Olivia 21 questions (plus one for luck!) about her love life, what she believes in politically, and what her ideal birthday cake flavor is.
- What's your favorite song right now?
[My] favorite song right now is My Love by Vortxz, a Latino pop band here in Houston. Very underrated band, and I absolutely love that they make music in English and in Spanish.
2. What’s your biggest hope for 2024 politically?
My biggest political hope in 2024 is that Texas flips several state house seats and flips our U.S. Senate seat to blue to help retain Democratic control of the U.S. Senate— that also means re-electing Joe Biden as President!
3. What is your biggest hope for 2024 personally?
My biggest personal hope is that I finally get my drivers license and stop being afraid of Houston drivers lol
4. If you could warn Democrats about 2024, what would you say?
If I could warn democrats about 2024, I would warn them about down ballot turnout and project 2025. If folks don’t want to vote for President that’s their prerogative, but they need to turnout to vote for down ballot races to protect their communities and states. Also project 2025 would mean if a Republican takes office their plan is to weaponize and pack the federal government with people within institutions that would allow them to take dangerous amounts of power. Trump already began the steps for this while President, attempting to reclassify federal employees under schedule F so he could fire them for partisan reasons. That’s a very dangerous precedent to set.
5. What is your favorite food right now?
Favorite food right now is Buffalo garlic Parmesan wings. Still in a baseball season headspace and I’m gearing up for the Super Bowl!
6. What is your first legal drink going to be?
My first legal *emphasis on legal, come on I was raised in rural Texas,* will be a Whiskey neat, probably Jack Daniel’s or Johnnie Walker
7. What are you going to be wishing for on your birthday?
For my 21st birthday I’m going to wish that Roe v Wade can be codified by my 22nd birthday and also for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to get married.
8. What did you learn in your 20th year?
In my 20th year I learned how expensive laundry detergent and paper towels are.
9. Who is your favorite TikTok creator right now?
Favorite TikTok account is santizapmr, he covers professional wrestling and does react videos. Equal favorite is outdoorboyscamping which is a dad who does survival camping in Alaska. Very odd for a young woman to be into these things but it’s also weird for me to want to drink Whiskey neat so I’m clearly an old man in a young woman’s body.
10. What's bringing you the most hope right now?
What’s bringing me the most hope right now is [Governor] Andy Beshear (D– KY.). He ran an incredible people forward campaign in a Southern state and won by a great margin. I respect that and admire him.
11. What did you want to be when you were a kid?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a teacher! I started tutoring kids when I was 12 and kept going all through high school. I tutored kids in Chemistry, English, and Government. If I wasn’t working in politics I’d be on track to go teach in my hometown. I’ll probably retire to teaching at some point. It’s always called to me which is why I think I have such a drawn to politics is I get to teach people about government and its functions.
12. What would you tell your 15 year old self if you could talk to her?
If I could tell 15-year-old Olivia something I’d tell her that sexuality is not a choice and she’s actually just kinda gay.
13. Describe your love life in one sentence (sorry!!)
My greatest blessing and biggest weakness is that I have a soft spot for nerdy men who love politics.
14. Do you see a political run in your future?
I’ll never be the person to make that choice. If I ever ran for office it would be because I was approached by people in my community and my mentors encourage it. I believe public service is about serving the public, not serving yourself.
15. Describe your politics in one sentence.
You have to stand for something, not just against something.
16. Why do you think people underestimate you?
I think people underestimate me because by all accounts a plus size queer Latina from rural South east Texas enrolled in community college classes shouldn’t be in rooms with some of the most powerful people in the world. I shouldn’t have a massive audience of folks listening to what I have to say and how I say it, yet I do. They look at my identities and my background and think I’m an easy target because they’ve always seen minorities and marginalized communities as easy targets. What they don’t take into account is that my lived experiences have given me insight and knowledge that no Ivy League degree could.
17. What do you hope is coming in your 21st year?
I hope my 21st year brings more opportunities to get on the campaign trail for Democrats and more opportunities to educate and mobilize not just young folks but non-engaged older folks as well. My best memories and experiences are being on the road in states like Pennsylvania and Tennessee just meeting normal people and listening to them talk about their lives and dreams. That’s what drives me and keeps me going.
18. Do you ever wish you’d taken a different path than the one you have?
I would never want to take a different path. Nothing excites me more than democracy, organizing, and coalition building. It’s people based. Community based. I think it stems from growing up in the church, a place of faith and community. Those morals and values have led me to seek peace in my community now and because of that nothing is more rewarding and fulfilling than being able to deliver things for them when I can.
19. What is your favorite birthday cake flavor?
Tres leches cake all the way. El Bollios bakery in Houston is my go to. Best cake in the country.
20. What is your favorite birthday present you’ve ever gotten?
My favorite birthday present I’ve ever gotten is from my followers actually. Last year we raised $50K for Warnock's run-off campaign and this year I’m fundraising for women of color candidates in Texas in state legislature races. I don’t care about gifts for myself at all . I just like spending quality time with my friends and family and giving back to my state
21. What are you thinking about when you’re not thinking about politics?
I’m always thinking about politics and that’s just the truth. It’s how my brain is wired. I just can’t help but see the world through a political lens. Why is this art painted on this building downtown? Probably because of [Harris County] Commissioner Rodney Ellis. Why are minimalism trends coming back into style? Probably because of economic fallout from the pandemic. It can be a real buzz kill at times sure. But it’s more of an I have an ADHD brain and I’m thinking of a million different things at any given time.
22. As a bonus, predict the election outcomes for 2024 for us. What do you think is going to happen?
We’ve seen a lot of Presidential elections be run very top down, but Biden’s legacy legislatively is bipartisan legislation that states have used to dramatically expand business and infrastructure. Biden will win because even if he has low favorability his surrogates don’t. They’re beloved. Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro in particular will help him in the Midwest without question. Biden has the ability to build a coalition of supporters that Trump doesn’t have and the GOP doesn’t have.
I think President Biden will win Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Georgia. I think there will be a flip in either Alaska or North Carolina. (I know, bold of me to say)
I think that Democrats will take back the House and pick up a senate seat in Texas. Republicans will likely win a seat in West Virginia. John Tester will win re-elect in Montana as well as Sherod Brown in Ohio— but I think by very close margins. 50-50 tie breaking vote with VP Harris meaning Democrats retain the Senate.
Regardless of what happens in Arizona, [I think] Sinema is out. It’s going to be tough. I’m not predicting a blue wave by any means. What I am saying is that Democrats have turned out in unexpected ways consistently since Roe was overturned and I think that will be a key factor in turning out voters in 2024– especially youth voters.
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