Secret Facebook Group Helps Clinton Supporters Stay Sane

Welcome to Pantsuit Nation
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 8, 2016 4:58 PM CST
Millions of Clinton Supporters Find Refuge in Pantsuit Nation
Secret Facebook group dedicated to Hillary Clinton's sartorial choices provides safe place for millions of supporters.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Should've bought stock in pantsuits. Vox reports a private Facebook group started a few weeks ago to encourage Hillary Clinton supporters to wear pantsuits on Election Day has ballooned to millions of members. Maine resident Libby Chamberlain founded Pantsuit Nation after the final presidential debate, according to CNN. “We support each other during this highly contentious election season and have created a refuge from the vitriol that is sweeping the nation," Chamberlain tells Vox. It turns out that's exactly what a lot of people needed. "All these posts flying by my news feed are giving me hope and courage," CNN quotes one member as saying. The New York Times reports Pantsuit Nation now has more than 2.5 million members, an impressive feat considering it requires an invitation to join.

And with Election Day finally here, the pantsuits are coming out. Chamberlain says members are posting a thousand or so photos of themselves in pantsuits every few minutes. "We have dozens of moderators and they can't keep up," Chamberlain tells CNN. But Pantsuit Nation isn't just about pantsuits, or even about providing a safe space for Clinton supporters avoiding political conversations with their Trump-loving friends and family. It's raised more than $216,000 for the Clinton campaign, and Chamberlain sees the group making a difference in the future. "I love the idea that this could influence policy," she tells the Times. (More Election 2016 stories.)

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