In the early weeks of Elon Musk's ownership of the platform
Prominent Republicans gain hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter
Elizabeth Warren.
From the source
Bernie Sanders.
From the source
Marjorie Taylor Greene.
From the source
Jim Jordan.
From the source
picture
High-ranking Republican members of Congress attracted tens of thousands of Twitter followers during the first weeks of Elon Musk's purchase of the social network, while their Democratic counterparts saw a decline, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senator Bernie Sander (D-Vermont) lost nearly 100,000 Twitter followers in the first three weeks of Musk's ownership of the platform.
On the other hand, Marjorie Taylor Greene (Republican from Georgia) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) gained more than 300,000 followers each.
It is difficult to determine why the number of followers has increased and decreased, and the numbers are often affected by Twitter banning automated accounts, collectively.
Not everyone who follows a particular politician is a supporter of it, however, and the pattern suggests that tens of thousands of liberals may leave the site, while conservatives join or become more active, shifting the site's demographics, under Musk's ownership.
The changes are in line with a trend that began in April, when Musk announced his intention to buy the company.
On average, Republicans gained 8,000 followers, and Democrats lost about 4,000. Musk and Twitter did not respond to requests for comment.
On Saturday, the US billionaire said he would support Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, if he ran for president in 2024.
Musk bought Twitter late last month, after pledging to bring his vision of absolute freedom of expression to the site.
On the day he took over the platform, he said that Twitter would not become a free place for all, where anything could be said without consequences!
But users immediately began testing the new site's limits under Musk's leadership, prompting a brief spike in hate speech.
The right and conservatives have accused Twitter for years of censorship without evidence.
Many welcomed Musk's deal, saying he was the reason they returned to the site.
On the day Musk's purchase was finalized, Republican members of Congress saw their numbers skyrocket.
Green got about 37,000 followers, as did Jordan, then head of the House Freedom Caucus.
On the same day, the Democrats' follower numbers plummeted, with Warren losing about 19,000 followers and Schiff losing 13,000.
This trend continued for several days, as prominent Republicans attracted thousands of followers online, and the Democrats lost many of them, and the same thing happened on November 19, when Musk announced that he would reactivate the account of former President Donald Trump, after conducting a poll in which any user could vote yes or no.
300,000
Followed by Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan.
The pattern suggests that tens of thousands of liberals may leave the site as conservatives join or become more active.
Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news