Social Media and the 2018 Midterms: An Analysis of House Candidates' Twitter Posts

Jacob R. Ausubel, University of Pennsylvania

Abstract

To date, relatively few academic studies have analyzed congressional candidates’ use of social media in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. This paper contributes to the literature by conducting a textual analysis of 697 House candidates’ Twitter posts from between January 1st and November 6^th 2018. The study focuses on seven key issues – the economy, gun policy, healthcare, immigration, Russia, the Supreme Court, and the Trump presidency – and assesses whether there was a fundamental difference in how Democratic and Republican candidates approached each one. The paper argues that there were partisan differences in social media use and presents two potential explanations: political polarization and how each political party was confronted with unique challenges.

Discipline(s)

Political Science

Suggested Citation

Ausubel, Jacob R., "Social Media and the 2018 Midterms: An Analysis of House Candidates' Twitter Posts" 26 March 2019. CUREJ: College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania, https://repository.upenn.edu/curej/229.