As Twitter continues to change under Elon Musk’s new ownership, not only have many been allowed back on the platform, but there has also been a shift in whom the platform’s users are following.
Republican congressional officials have gained followers in recent weeks, but Democrats have not, according to an analysis from The Washington Post.
The Post found many prominent Democratic lawmakers actually lost Twitter followers, while some Republican figures gained thousands of additional followers.
The loss was particularly painful for Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and Rep. Adam Schiff of California, according to the Post.
“Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) all lost about 100,000 Twitter followers in the first three weeks of Musk’s ownership of Twitter, while Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) gained more than 300,000 each,” the Post reported.
This is not the first time that this trend has emerged.
In April, when Musk’s deal to buy Twitter was still developing, many Republican Twitter accounts gained followers while Democrats lost followers, USA Today reported.
And just like the trend that the Post reported on Monday, Republicans Jordan and Greene (along with other Republicans such as Reps. Kevin McCarthy of California and Lauren Boebert of Colorado) were among those who gained followers in significant numbers.
Meanwhile, similar to the current trend, Democrats Warren, Sanders, and Schiff, as well as Rep. Maxine Waters of California and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, lost many followers in April, USA Today reported.
But unlike the trends in April, the current increase in Republicans’ followers and decrease in Democrats’ followers have come after weeks of Musk making significant changes on the social media platform.
Major accounts that were previously banned have been reactivated, such as those of former President Donald Trump, clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, controversial entertainer Kanye West and others.
Then on Thursday, Musk announced in a Twitter post that there would be general amnesty across the whole platform after a majority of users voted for it in a poll he posted on Wednesday.
“The people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted.
The people have spoken.
Amnesty begins next week.
Vox Populi, Vox Dei.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2022
The day before the Nov. 8 midterm elections, Musk suggested voting for a Republican Congress.
“To independent-minded voters: Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” he tweeted.
To independent-minded voters:
Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2022
Now, amid the rumors about Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis possibly running for president in 2024, Musk even voiced his support for the popular Republican.
One user tweeted at Musk asking, “Would you support Ron DeSantis in 2024, Elon?”
Would you support Ron DeSantis in 2024, Elon?
— Proud Elephant ??? (@ProudElephantUS) November 26, 2022
“Yes,” Musk replied.
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2022
While a direct correlation between changes at Twitter under Musk and the increase in Republican lawmakers’ followers hasn’t been proven, the timing is noteworthy.
“It’s difficult to tell exactly why follower counts go up and down, and the counts are often affected by Twitter banning bot accounts en masse. Not everyone following a specific politician is a supporter,” The Post reported Monday.
“Still, the pattern suggests that tens of thousands of liberals may be leaving the site while conservatives are joining or becoming more active, shifting the demographics of the site under Musk’s ownership.”
Neither Musk nor Twitter has commented on the trend, according to the Post.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
