The battle for 2016 is already being waged on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms.
The social media standings of likely 2016 Republican presidential candidates are becoming crucial as the GOP nomination heats up. Candidates’ followings, and how effectively they use digital technology, provide a benchmark of where the White House contenders stand in the months before the primary campaign begins in earnest.
Some presidential favorites have a clear edge online.
Sen. Rand Paul has become the poster child for the highly active social media feed, amassing more than 1.85 million Facebook fans and nearly 540,000 Twitter followers.
That Paul’s social-media following is so high even though he has never run for president shows how quickly he’s adapted his message to a digital environment.
The Kentucky first-termer has used the technology to needle likely rivals, labeling Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton “same old” presidential contenders and hitting Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., for his position on Cuba.
Paul has also used Twitter to try to put out political fires, most recently tweeting a story about getting a booster shot amid controversy over his comments on vaccination.
Firebrand candidates like Paul and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have gained more traction on social media than some of the more establishment-type figures, experts said.
“Social media is populist. It is activist,” said Republican strategist Brian Donahue, whose firm works extensively in digital media. “Politicians, particularly on the Right, have always been risk adverse and slow to accept more open communication environments. You have to be in the culture conversation. Your timing has to be right. You have to accept the risk that you will say something that will cause a stir unintentionally.”
In terms of engagement, Cruz and Paul are surpassing the likes of Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., despite having fewer followers and fans on social media than the former vice presidential candidate.
The newness of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential aspirations shows: His online following is just a fraction of those of Paul and Cruz, as well as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former Govs. Rick Perry of Texas and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas.
So far this year, Paul has more than six times as many tweets as Bush.
While such a metric might sound trivial, it carries weight in two areas that matter a great deal in winning campaigns: data and engagement.
The greater the reach of a candidate on social media, the more information they have at their disposal on potential voters.
Also, social media campaigns boost the level of enthusiasm among supporters, growing excitement for presidential contenders well before they officially declare for the race.
Republicans have worked furiously to close their social media gap with Democrats, a deficiency they say helped propel Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 and 2012.
“The Obama team set the pace for how a contemporary presidential campaign needs to operate in social media,” Donahue said. “You have to be omnipresent.”
Conservatives insist recent efforts have paid off, predicting that whoever emerges as the party’s candidate in 2016 will effectively reach voters on social media.
Regardless, the posts that have gone most viral for Republicans of late were a blend of personal and political, many of them anti-Obama in nature.
For Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., it was a tweet trolling Bears quarterback Jay Cutler about his losing ways in Green Bay. Perry’s Facebook post thanking the people of Texas upon leaving the governor’s mansion was widely shared. And Christie’s most popular Facebook item in late January involved photos with the label: #NJSnowDay.
But digital experts say Republicans must walk a fine line between showing a common touch and proving they’re ready to assume the Oval Office.
“Keep it presidential,” advised one GOP digital strategist not affiliated with a likely 2016 candidate. “You want people to see another side of you, but you don’t want to be goofy all of the time. People still have to picture you in the White House one day.”
