Democrats Gain on GOP Social Media Domination

The long Republican domination of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appears to be ending, and that's good news for President Obama and congressional Democrats because it signals that liberals are getting energized for the 2012 election, according to a new study provided to Whispers.

While Republicans still have a lead on Facebook, Democrats have overtaken them on Twitter, a strong indication that the Democratic spin on social media over jobs and the economy is taking off, according to the site OhMyGov.com.

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"If the numbers indicate that Democrats are beginning to dominate on social media, this could be an early indicator of what's to come during the 2012 election cycle," writes OhMyGov's Andrew Einhorn.

He adds: "Both parties have been highly engaged in a public relations blame game for a poor economic climate, a rising national debt, the downgrading of the U.S. credit rating, and congressional stalemates over legislative priorities such as passing a federal budget. It appears, according to social media data, that the Republicans are losing that PR battle and more citizens are siding with the Democrats. Should the trend continue, Republicans may be lining up for a huge loss come November.

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 GOP hopefuls.]

"History seems to be repeating itself, but for the opposite party. In May 2010, incumbent Republicans in Congress began accumulating Facebook fans at a much more rapid rate than their Democratic counterparts. One study examined this rate and showed a statistically significant increase in Facebook fans for incumbent Republicans over Democrats in both the House and the Senate, though the difference was far greater in the House."

His full report his here.

• See pictures of the 2012 GOP candidates.
• See a collection of political cartoons on Mitt Romney.
• See a collection of political cartoons on Newt Gingrich.

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