Shocker: GOP Outpaces Democrats on Twitter

Republican lawmakers are far ahead of Democrats when it comes to spreading their message in 140 characters or less.

Eight of the 10 most-followed Twitter accounts on Capitol Hill belong to Republicans, according to a report released Thursday by public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.

The study found 67 percent of Republicans on Twitter are directly engaging other users, compared with just 41 percent of the Democrats who utilize the platform.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) were listed as the top three most-followed members. The only Democrats to make the Top 10 were Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri (No. 4) and Barbara Boxer of California (No. 7).

“The fact that neither Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi nor Majority Leader [Harry] Reid rank amongst even the Top 10 overall congressional users on Twitter speaks volumes as summer in Washington comes to an end and members of both parties return to our nation’s capital,” said Dallas Lawrence, managing director for digital public affairs at Burson-Marsteller. “With two months before the general election, Republicans in Congress hold a clear advantage in the Twittersphere.”

Twitter became widely-used campaign tool after President Barack Obama’s campaign used it and other social media platforms to engage with voters in 2008. Republicans were largely seen as less savvy in the social media arena and spent 2009 playing catch-up.

After the 2006 and 2008 GOP disaster Congressional and Presidential elections, the GOP knew it was in trouble with modern day social communications. With the growth of Twitter and the Top Conservatives on Twitter website, the RIGHT and GOP consolidated a way to instantaneously group together like minded folks to political activism.

The modern Tea Party movement as well as the resurgence of the mainstream GOP is directly associated with the RIGHT’S growth on Twitter.