U.S. Senate candidates who more people “liked” on Facebook or “followed” on Twitter were most likely to win their races, Jennifer Schlesinger reports at ABC, and money didn’t necessarily translate into social media popularity.
Of 118 Senate races tracked by Facebook, the candidate with the most “likes” won 77, or 71 percent. Candidates with the most followers on Twitter won 74 percent of the time.
Candidates who spent the most money on their campaigns didn’t necessarily make a lot of friends in the social media world, Schlesinger said. Linda McMahon, for example, put close to $50 million of her own money into her campaign, but wound up with only 15 more Facebook “likes” than Richard Blumenthal.
Meanwhile, The Hill’s Elise Viebeck notes that the widespread use of social media by politicians has created yet another complication when power changes hands: Not only do Republican and Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives need new stationery, new nameplates, new door signs and all; they also need new Twitter handles. Nancy Pelosi’s “@SpeakerPelosi,” for example, is about to become an anachronism.