Elected Official Social Media vs. Political Candidate Social Media

How Politicians Use Social Media as a Communications Tool

You might have noticed that some elected officials have two Facebook accounts, two Twitter accounts, and two Instagram accounts. In case you do not know, some elected officials have separate accounts for their official work and the other is for their campaign work. Let’s break down the differences.

Elected Official vs. Political Candidate Social Media

Elected Official Social Media Accounts

The purpose of the official social media accounts is for elected officials share updates of the work he or she is doing in Washington D.C. (State Legislatures will also have official social media accounts to share updates from the state capitol.)

The official social media account content includes information about their bills, their voting records, their committee efforts, and you will see pictures of them at committee hearings and with their constituents visiting their Washington D.C. office or State Capitol office.

A Member of Congress has House of Representatives social media account(s), which is also referred to as their “official” account(s). I will provide Congresswoman Monica de la Cruz as an example. The title of her official account(s), is “Rep. Monica de la Cruz”. The social media page category is “Government Official”. The profile includes a verified checkmark, her headshot with the United States of America flag in the background, and the link to her Congressional website.

Political Candidate Social Media Accounts

Elected officials also have political candidate social media account(s), which are created prior to their election, which is also referred to as their “campaign” account(s).

The purpose of the candidate social media account(s) is to share updates on their campaign work. The candidate campaign account content includes campaign ads, fundraising efforts, candidates engaging with their constituents, issues impacting their constituency, and media interviews.

Elected officials do keep their campaign social media accounts active because they frequently travel back to interact with their constituency. You may see pictures of them supporting a local business or attending a local event. When the elected official is up for re-election, they will use their campaign accounts to canvass to voters to re-elect them. You will see pictures of them at meet & greets, block walking, phone banking, and poll greeting.

Congresswoman Monica de la Cruz's candidate page is titled “Monica de la Cruz”. The social media page category is “Politician” (or “Political Candidate”). Monica's candidate profile includes a verified checkmark, a candidate headshot, a link to her campaign website and contact information.

Do all elected officials have separate accounts for their official work and their campaign? No.

Some candidate-elects change the name of their social media page to share their official work. For example a Justice of the Peace candidate-elect will change the name of their social media page to “Judge Matthew J. Schmidt".

Call to Action

Remember, your elected officials work for YOU. Follow their “official” social media account and their “campaign” social media account to keep up to date with their work whether that is in Washington D.C. or a state capitol and their efforts to stay in contact with their constituency.

The key to social media is that it is interactive. You can like or share their updates, and you can comment on their posts if you wish to express your concern on an issue.