Innovative Politicians

Innovative Politicians are US candidates for public office and/or current incumbents who have embraced social media and innovative platforms during the election season of while in office.
Howard Dean
Politician Howard Dean's famous use of Meetup.com for his upstart presidential campaign in 2002 made it easy for people "with a common interest to find each other and arrange to meet, face to face" . Howard Dean listened to technology and the people using it, and altered speeches and stances after getting feedback from his supporters and critics Many of Howard Dean's followers used Meetup.com, with the number of people coming out to Dean's Meetups in 600 location across the country ultimately reaching about 143,000. The website was revolutionary, as engagement in face-to-face local groups "dramatically affected how involved volunteers got with the campaign. The more Meetups people attended, the higher their average donation to the campaign" . Dean's campaign's pickup of the emerging platform encouraged future candidates to look for unconventional methods of voter tracking and interaction, especially since Meetup.com propelled Dean to a viable spot in the presidential race .
David Cole
28-year-old software developer David Cole ran for Congress in 2016 to represent his home district in New Jersey. He announced his campaign in a Medium post reading, “I’m a coder running for Congress,” and aimed to bring a startup’s "sensibility, systems—and, naïveté—to the campaign" . Cole's experience in the coding world was instrumental in his integration of software development site Github to his political platform . Cole employed Github in the hopes that constituents would collaborate on political policies, commenting on and editing his stance on issues straight on the website like they would on software . Although Cole lost the election, his innovative use of Github can be utilized in campaigns to come.
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama has revolutionized how current politicians use social media, with the White House expanding the President and First Lady's use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. While "critics worry that governance by social media will cheapen the power of the presidency by substituting hashtag activism for serious policymaking," Obama has successfully "leveraged the opportunities of the digital age to maximum political advantage" . The Administration has capitalized on micro-targetting, the identification of the desired audience and aiming of messages to the target directly, as it is much more engaging for audiences to have an online experience tailored just for smaller audiences .
Donald Trump
President-elect Donald Trump utilized Twitter frequently both during and after the 2016 presidential election, and said himself that social media helped him win the primary and general elections even though his opponents spent "much more money than spent" . With social media acting as free media and publicity, Trump was able to harness Twitter as a platform to respond quickly to his opponents and tweet about his stance on various issues. While Slate explains that Trump succeeded because he retained his "vulgar vigor and translated it into the political arena" , the Washington Post has called his Twitter account "prolific, populist, and self-obsessed" .

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu