Will Stancil

Will Stancil
Stancil in 2024
Born
William Stancil

(1985-07-16) July 16, 1985
Education
OccupationLawyer
Political partyDemocratic
Twitter information
Handle
Followers109,000
Last updated: January 31, 2026

William Stancil (born July 16, 1985)[1] is an American lawyer, activist, and researcher on housing policy who was a candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2024 in District 61A. He is notable for his presence on Twitter and Bluesky,[a] and has been called the "most harassed guy on X" by Slate[2] and the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region's "most prolific public intellectual on social media."[3]

Biography

Stancil grew up in Belmont, North Carolina,[4] and received a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University, a master's degree in modern history from Queen's University Belfast, and a juris doctor and master's degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota.[5] As of 2024, he was a research fellow at the University of Minnesota's Institute of Metropolitan Opportunity, with a focus on civil rights and education and housing policy, working for Myron Orfield, who later endorsed his House campaign.[5]

Political positions

For his House of Representatives campaign, Stancil supported more government accountability, revitalizing Minneapolis economically, better public education, enhancing public safety, restoring the tax base, and protecting civil rights.[6][7] Stancil's politics are considered center-left or liberal and he has received substantial criticism of his positions from both the left and right.[2][8]

Social media

Stancil has been described as one of the "most well-known online pugilists in American politics" by the editor in chief of the Minnesota Reformer.[9] In 2023 and 2024, Stancil argued that the economy under the presidency of Joe Biden was successful despite high inflation, claimed that those who argued otherwise were dishonest, and that the negative polarization against Biden was largely as a result of social media.[10] Stancil believes that voters' perception of the world colored through social media is significantly more important than their material wellbeing, and that psychology was the primary reason Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election and Trumpism is successful.[11]

Harassment

During his run for Minnesota House of Representatives, far-right accounts claiming to be Stancil supporters harassed his opponents, resulting in his opponents increasing security at public events and limiting their use of Twitter.[12] Such users also prompted Grok to tweet graphic fantasies of raping Stancil.[13] In October 2025, an account began posting The Will Stancil Show on X, an AI-assisted satirical cartoon of Stancil.[14][15] The right-wing author Charles Cornish-Dale, writing for The Spectator, described the series as "better than anything Comedy Central or Adult Swim has produced in the last 20 years."[16] In contrast, The Atlantic described it as the "racist, AI-generated future of entertainment."[15]

Operation Metro Surge

During Operation Metro Surge, Stancil repeatedly tailed United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and expressed support for the abolition of ICE.[17][18][19] Stancil later claimed that his willingness to take reporters on ridealongs resulted in his removal from Signal chat networks in his neighborhood that coordinate direct opposition to ICE agents.[20]

Electoral history

DFL primary results by precinct:
  Jones
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  Stancil
  •   60–70%
2024 Minnesota House of Representatives election, District 61A DFL primary [21]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic (DFL) Katie Jones 3,956 43.15
Democratic (DFL) Will Stancil 3,340 36.43
Democratic (DFL) Isabel Rolfes 1,872 20.42
Total votes 9,168 100.0

Notes

  1. ^ Since mid-December 2025, Stancil has not posted to Twitter.

References

  1. ^ "Minnesota Historical Election Archive". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Kirshner, Alex (November 6, 2025). "The Most Harassed Guy on X Knows What's Wrong With Social Media. Democrats Should Listen to Him". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  3. ^ Platt, Adam (January 9, 2025). "In Conversation with Will Stancil". Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Klion, David (April 24, 2024). "Who Is Will Stancil? And Why Is He In Your Feed?". Intelligencer. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "William Stancil '13". Archived from the original on October 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Griffith, Michelle (August 2, 2024). "In Minneapolis House DFL race, candidates knock doors while Twitter looms • Minnesota Reformer". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  7. ^ "Five questions with House of Reps 61A candidate Will Stancil". www.southwestvoices.news. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Lee, Rob (March 18, 2024). ""Go Out There And Be Loud": An Interview with Will Stancil". The Gavel. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  9. ^ Coolican, J. Patrick (February 16, 2024). "Will Stancil: 'repetitive and annoying' — and an influential player in American politics • Minnesota Reformer". Minnesota Reformer. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  10. ^ Boller, Jay (February 2, 2024). "'I Don't Get Off On It': Meet Will Stancil, the MN Man Caught In a Perpetual Twitter Fight - Racket". Racket (Minnesota). Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  11. ^ Jones, Morgan (October 23, 2025). "All that is solid melts into posts: an interview with Will Stancil". Renewal. Retrieved December 1, 2025.
  12. ^ "What are the Nazis doing in a south Minneapolis legislative race?". News From The States. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  13. ^ McCoy, Joe (July 9, 2025). "AI bot Grok makes disturbing posts about Minneapolis man, who is now mulling legal action". KARE (TV). Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  14. ^ Kirshner, Alex (November 6, 2025). "The Most Harassed Guy on X Knows What's Wrong With Social Media. Democrats Should Listen to Him". Slate. The Slate Group. Archived from the original on November 9, 2025. Retrieved December 1, 2025. In October, a woman with 43,000 followers debuted an A.I.-slop cartoon called "The Will Stancil Show," depicting a fictional Stancil as a parody of wokeness who hands out free housing vouchers to groups of Black kids.
  15. ^ a b Harper, Tyler Austin (November 26, 2025). "The Racist, AI-Generated Future of Entertainment". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  16. ^ Cornish-Dale, Charles (October 23, 2025). "The Will Stancil Show is art". The Spectator World. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
  17. ^ Warnica, Richard (January 16, 2026). "Richard Warnica: I spent the week in Minnesota. The only thing I'm sure of now is that more people are going to die". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  18. ^ Worth, Robert F. (January 26, 2026). "Welcome to the American Winter". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  19. ^ "Inside the movement challenging—and disrupting—ICE". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  20. ^ "Will Stancil (@whstancil.bsky.social)". Bluesky Social. January 30, 2026. Archived from the original on January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026. Okay so unfortunately I've been removed from rapid response networks, at least in my immediate area. I think even alerting you of this would be deemed a violation of principles but given how much I've talked about it I do feel the need to say what's up.
  21. ^ "State Representative District 61A". Minnesota Secretary of State. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
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