Bottom 10 U.S. Senators on Twitter Ranking

The topic is U.S. Senators on Twitter. There are a total of 96 of 100 Senators who currently communicate with their constituencies through Twitter. We've found strong correlation between a politician's ability to effectively communicate through social media and her or his ability to win elections and ultimately be an effective representative. Given this, PoliticIt set out to determine who was the elite of elite on Twitter based on followers, tweets, and total mentions (Our full ranking methodology is outlined below). Yesterday we posted our ranking of Top Ten U.S. Senators on Twitter here. Today, however, we're sharing our rankings of the bottom 10 U.S. Senators on (or not on) Twitter. 

For those who show up in this ranking, don't worry, there's hope. We've seen politicians on every level make drastic changes to their digital presence for the better in relatively short periods of time. But changes often occur when a politician has a realistic understanding of where she or he currently stands.

Here they are: 

Bottom Ten U.S. Senators on Twitter

1. Jim Webb (D) - Senior Senator | Virginia

Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter





2. Herb Kohl (D) - Senior Senator | Wisconsin

Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter





3. Jeff Bingaman (D) - Senior Senator | New Mexico

Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter





4. Jim Risch (R) - Junior Senator | Idaho

Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: 0






5. Max Baucus (D) - Senior Senator | Montana

Followers: 443
Tweets: 75
Mentions in 24 hours: 16
Twitter handle: @MaxBaucus





6. Maria Cantwell (D) - Junior Senator | Washington

Followers: 3,430
Tweets: 67
Mentions in 24 hours: 6
Twitter handle: @CantwellPress





7. John Hoeven (R) - Junior Senator | North Dakota

Followers: 881
Tweets: 52
Mentions in 24 hours: 23
Twitter handle: @SenJohnHoeven






8. Daniel Akaka (D) - Senior Senator | Hawaii

Followers: 2,686
Tweets: 231
Mentions in 24 hours: 7
Twitter handle: @SenatorAkaka







9. Jeanne Shaheen (D) - Senior Senator | New Hampshire

Followers: 4,453
Tweets: 113
Mentions: 6
Twitter handle: @JeanneShaheen





10. Kent Conrad (D) - Junior Senator | North Dakota

Followers: 1,081
Tweets: 676
Mentions: 6
Twitter handle: @SenateBudget





Many of the bottom 10 Senators on Twitter preside over states with small populations which reduces the number of followers and mentions we can expect them to have. As such, we've created a bottom ten ranking that levels the playing field by comparing each Senator's metrics s/he presides over with her or his competitors' metrics -- all adjusted for each Senator's state population (based on 2010 U.S. census data).

Bottom Ten U.S. Senators on Twitter (adjusted for state population)


Bottom Ten U.S. Senators on Twitter

1. Jim Webb (D) - Senior Senator | Virginia

State population: 8,001,024
Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter




2. Herb Kohl (D) - Senior Senator | Wisconsin

State population: 5,686,986
Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter




3. Jeff Bingaman (D) - Senior Senator | New Mexico

State population: 2,059,179
Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: Not on Twitter




4. Jim Risch (R) - Junior Senator | Idaho

State population: 1,567,582
Followers: 0
Tweets: 0
Mentions in 24 hours: 0
Twitter handle: 0




5. Maria Cantwell (D) - Junior Senator | Washington

State population: 6,724,540
Followers: 3,430
Tweets: 67
Mentions in 24 hours: 6
Twitter handle: @CantwellPress




6. Dianne Feinstein (D) - Senior Senator | California

State population: 37,253,956
Followers: 8,011
Tweets: 443
Mentions in 24 hours: 62
Twitter handle: @SenFeinstein




7. Carl Levin (D) - Senior Senator | Michigan

State population: 9,883,640
Followers: 7,147
Tweets: 270
Mentions in 24 hours: 12
Twitter handle: @SenCarlLevin




8. Bob Casey, Jr. (D) - Senior Senator | Pennsylvania

State population: 12,702,379
Followers: 7,505
Tweets: 318
Mentions: 32
Twitter handle: @SenBobCasey





9. Debbie Stabenow (D) - Junior Senator | Michigan

State population: 9,938,444
Followers: 7,305
Tweets: 388
Mentions: 19
Twitter handle: @Stabenow





10. Marco Rubio (R) - Junior Senator | Florida 

State population: 18,801,301
Followers: 8,393
Tweets: 747
Mentions in 24 hours: 26
Twitter handle: @SenRubioPress





Methodology 

Data on these rankings was gathered between December 4 and December 6, 2012. Three metrics were considered for each U.S. Senator: total Twitter followers, total tweets the Senator has tweeted, and total mentions on Twitter including the politician's handle within a 24-hour time period. Each of these three metrics were given a weight. We gave total Twitter followers a weight of 50% significance. We gave total tweets the senator has tweeted a weight of 30% significance. Finally, we gave total mentions within a 24-hour time period a 20% weight. 

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Sterling Morris

PoliticIt provides It Scores on political races. An It Score measures a politician's digital influence. It Scores have correctly predicted more than 700 election outcomes in 2012 with 91% accuracy indicating that digital influence seems to correlate with election results and political performance.

Sterling Morris is a co-founder at PoliticIt. He is the producer of the nation's first rankings of business schools on social media published by BizEd. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.