Some 97 percent of all lawmakers in Washington now have Twitter accounts, but which feed do members of Congress follow more than any other on the booming social media outlet?
You’re looking at it.
{mosads}On Tuesday, New York Magazine released a report using data from media analytics firm Twiangulate that found The Hill to be the most followed Twitter account by members of Congress, counting 62.9 percent of all lawmakers as followers.
The Hill was the most-followed media outlet and most-followed Twitter account overall, coming in ahead of Politico (61.2 percent), C-SPAN (61 percent) and Roll Call (59.9 percent.).
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is the first lawmaker on the list, with 59.7 percent of Capitol Hill following him.
The Hill is the top media outlet followed by both Republicans and Democrats in Washington.
Outside of the nonpartisan news outlets, Democrats and Republicans are predictably more likely to follow outlets that bend toward or are perceived to bend toward their respective politics.
For instance, The New York Times and NPR register in the top 10 for Democrats, but not Republicans, while Fox News and The Wall Street Journal are in the top 10 for Republicans, but not Democrats.
The disparity is even greater among outlets that profess to have political leanings. Twitter feeds for The Drudge Report and Red State websites make the top 10 for Republicans but don’t even register in the top 20 for Democrats, while The Huffington Post and ThinkProgress make the top 20 for Democrats, but not Republicans.
Republicans top the list of most followers for individual lawmakers, with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) trouncing the field, boasting more than 1.8 million followers.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) comes in a distant second with 511,000, followed by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) at 421,000, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at 375,000, and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) at 360,000.
Many lawmakers follow back any Twitter user who follows them, which may mean they don’t actively use their feeds to cull news from others.
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) follows the most accounts, registering at nearly 46,000, followed by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) at 38,000, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) at 27,000, and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) at 22,000.