Recess is no rest for Hill’s top tweeters: The 25 must-follow Twitter feeds

More and more lawmakers are using Twitter to communicate
with constituents, make news and offer some random thoughts about the day.

Of the 535 members of Congress, 127 Republicans, 103
Democrats and 2 Independents tweet, according to TweetCongress, a website that
tracks lawmakers’ Twitter accounts.

{mosads}And those tweets have become a valuable tool for newsmakers,
members of the media and general political junkies alike.

For that reason, The Hill compiled a list, in alphabetical
order, of 25 must-follow feeds for the inside scoop on Congress:

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) (@GOPWhip)

This feed is a reliable source for a sense of the GOP’s
daily message and the op-eds its members are reading (and writing).

Example of a recent tweet: House Republicans brought 9
spending cuts totaling over $120 billion to the House floor for up-or-down
votes over the last 3 months

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) (@JohnCornyn)

The chairman of the Senate Republicans’ campaign committee,
Cornyn often dispatches a series of musings on Twitter, which double as his
Facebook status. The often on-message tweets are mixed in with the occasional
tweet like Friday morning’s, which wished followers a happy Friday the 13th.

Example of a recent tweet: Q: If the federal government
enforced immigration laws and secured the borders, would we even be talking
about 14th Amendment?

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) (@JimDeMint)

DeMint often breaks news using his Twitter account, which
has more than 46,000 followers. Last year, he revealed he was leading a
controversial congressional delegation to Honduras amid a coup there.

This year, he has previewed his many legislative amendments
on Twitter.

Example of a recent tweet: I’ll work to force a vote this
week to permanently kill the death tax.

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) (@RussFeingold)

Feingold’s feed is notable for its consistent demarcation in which his tweets are written by staff members. In an age when many
lawmakers’ tweets are bland missives written by aides, Feingold’s feed gives
followers transparency as to who’s on the other end of the keyboard or
Blackberry.

Example of a recent tweet: STAFF Read our blog post on Ron
Johnson twisting in the wind…again http://bit.ly/ckpeZC

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs (@PressSec)

Anyone looking for the latest news from the White House
should look no further than White House Press Secretary (“@PressSec”)
Robert Gibbs. Since joining Twitter in February, the account has been used to
occasionally dispatch news to the press corps more quickly than press releases.

Example of a recent tweet: Maine Republican Senator Susan
Collins says she’ll vote to confirm Elena Kagan as a Supreme Court
justice…   

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) (@ChuckGrassley)

Grassley’s account is one of the most widely followed among
lawmakers because of his unique online vernacular and his penchant to go off
the cuff.

Example of a recent tweet: Congress&Americans shldnt b
in dark abt possbl Obama admst pln 4 backdoor amnesty 2 illegal immgnts Pass
video on http://tinyurl.com/2fzf2wm

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) (@jahimes)

Himes, a freshman lawmaker, is one of several lawmakers to
take up Twitter himself instead of letting his staff maintain his account.

This week, the Connecticut congressman made keen
observations about Rep. Charles Rangel’s floor speech about his ethics charges.

Example of a recent tweet: Rangel mounting a lengthy defense
of himself in the well. No notes. Unclear where this is going.

House Democrats (@HouseDemocrats)

Run out of the office of Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.), this
feed aggregates and retweets important posts from all Democratic House members.

Example of a recent tweet: RT @LeaderHoyer @DavidGregory:
“if Rs get back into power what are they going to do?” @PeteSessions:
“need to go back to exact same agenda”

House Republican Conference (@GOPConference)

This feed imports tweets from House GOP members, and helps
to articulate the conference’s day-to-day message.

Example of a recent tweet: RT @USASpeakingOut Protect the
Constitution: @RepJohnShadegg has plan to rein in overreaching Congress. Weigh
in here http://ow.ly/2nATz

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) (@JohnKerry)

The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee’s account was once
a sleepy outpost in the political Twitter universe. But it has quickly become a
must follow with a mix of pop culture observations and political statements.

He welcomed legendary NBA center Shaquille O’Neal to the
Boston Celtics last week, tweeting “@THE_REAL_SHAQ  Welcome to Massachusetts, big
guy.”

Kerry also took a shot at Connecticut Senate candidate Linda
McMahon (R) this week: “And a big night for AG Blumenthal, we need to have
his back vs. $50 million in GOP/WWE roid rage attacks thru November.”

{mosads}Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) (@SenatorMenendez)

Twitter is a tool Menendez uses to highlight the wide
variety of issues that matter to him and his constituents. Recently, he’s
discussed a push to investigate a potential connection between BP and the release
of the Lockerbie bomber and has also advocated for the U.S. to host a future World
Cup.

Example of a recent tweet: Go NJ! RT @FrankLautenberg: lets
bring the #WorldCup to NJ’s Meadowlands. Show support for @goUSAbid by voting
http://bit.ly/cyCtn1

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) (@SenJohnMcCain)

From constant heads-ups about local radio interviews to
sharp criticism of President Obama to conversations with the Jersey Shore’s
“Snooki,” McCain maintains one of the most active Senate Twitter
feeds. He has a wide reach, too, with over 1.7 million followers.

Example of a recent tweet: @SenJohnMcCain joining my husband
on the road to victory next week. AZ primary Aug 24. (via @CindyhM1)

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) (@clairecmc)

This Missouri centrist has been one of the most consistently
active Twitter users since the service took off in popularity with her
colleagues. She uses her feed to make news, too: When she had secured enough
votes in the Senate to change longstanding rules on anonymous holds, she announced
it on Twitter.

Example of a recent tweet: My bill on border security became
law today. Great hearing today in KC on the disgusting abuses of debt
settlement companies. Productive day.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff (@TheJointStaff)

Mullen’s Twitter feed always gives interesting insight into
what the nation’s top military official has to say on a number of issues.
Though his job often involves a number of top secret and off-camera affairs,
Mullen’s feed offers humanizing insight on the Joint Chiefs chairman.

Example of a recent tweet: Deborah & I offer deepest
condolences to the family and loved ones of Sen. Stevens, as well as others
suffering loss in AK plane crash.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R) (@SarahPalinUSA)

If you’ve ever heard the term “refudiate,” you’ve
heard about a Palin tweet. The former GOP vice-presidential candidate and
rumored 2012 contender makes her feed a must-read with creative coinages and a
message that reaches directly to her base.

Example of a recent tweet: What’s the plan,man? Still no
Obama/Dem’s formal proposal telling Americans how they’ll increase taxes in 4
mos, nor what they’ll do w our $

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) (@SpeakerPelosi)

Pelosi had been one of the top congressional leaders to lack
a formal Twitter feed, but has since taken up the cause and used her feed to
break news. When she decided to bring lawmakers back from their August recess
to pass a $26 billion state aid bill, she announced it on Twitter.

Example of a recent tweet: Looking forward to tonight’s
#topchef (I judge the Quickfire!) – can’t wait to see how the teams do in
Restaurant Wars    

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) (@JaredPolis)

This freshman Colorado congressman is a younger presence on
Twitter, maintaining an active feed and frequently using it to communicate with
constituents and supporters. He also notes breaking news.

Example of a recent tweet: AZ law overturned!! Immigration
is federal responsibility!No more excuses, American ppl demand Congress PASS
IMMIGRATION REFORM NOW

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) (@RepMikeQuigley)

Though Quigley tweets about the business of Congress, the
best part of his Twitter account is that he uses it to display his love of
hockey (after all, he is a co-founder of the Congressional Hockey Caucus).

He also loves to engage with other lawmakers on Twitter.

Example of a recent tweet: @RepBrianHiggins  No need to worry, @RepMikeQuigley,
Buffalo will take good care of Stanley Cup today http://twitpic.com/2ec345

{mosads}Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) (@cbrangel)

The 20-term lawmaker only joined Twitter in June, but he has
not shied away from his ethics troubles on the account. His office recently
posted two audio files of him defending himself against 13 alleged violations
of House rules.

Example of a recent tweet: #Rangel Real audio tweet: http://twithear.com/1e6

Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.) (@PeterRoskam)

As co-chair of AmericaSpeakingOut.com, Roskam tends to use his
feed to promote the House GOP’s efforts online. Follow him for a sense of
the party’s moral and enthusiastic “Follow Fridays.”

Example of a recent tweet: Even John Maynard Keynes says if
you spend money you should get something for it http://bit.ly/c8AxHI @CNBC
#FAIL #DebtDependenceDay

Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) (@MarcoRubio)

The probable Republican nominee in Florida’s heated Senate
race, Rubio has used his Twitter account to make jabs at his opponents while
also sharing portions of his personal life.

He recently tweeted at fellow GOP Senate nominee Linda
McMahon of Connecticut.

Example of a recent tweet: Enjoyed going on Hannity with
@lindaforsenate. Good luck! See you in DC #flsen #ctsen

Senate Democrats (@DemWarRoom)

 This feed is mediated by nameless staff members, but
provides regular updates of the upper chamber’s latest happenings. From
messaging to scheduling to floor votes, Senate watchers shouldn’t skip this
feed.

Example of a recent tweet: Approx. 3:30pm ET vote on Elena
Kagan to be Assoc. Justice of the Sup. Ct.

Senate GOP News (@Senate_GOPs)

The Senate Republican Conference has a messaging machine on
its hands. It’s Twitter account shares links of pertinent Twitter posts from
its members and posts newsworthy items.

It culled many reactions from members regarding the death of
former Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on Monday.

Example of a recent tweet: @lisamurkowski  Sen. Murkowski’s Statement on Plane
Crash That Claimed the Life of Sen. Ted Stevens http://bit.ly/diZBkK

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
(@Schwarzenegger)

The “Governator” always has something new to tweet
about. He tracks his active public schedule beat by beat, frequently linking to
good TwitPics. Sometimes, he’ll even quip about his pre-political career.

Example of a recent tweet: Northern CA is the upper body,
Southern CA is the lower body, and the Central Valley is the abs. You can’t
neglect the abs, candidates.

Don Stewart (@StewSays)

If following “PressSec” and “DemWarRoom”
are necessary for Democrats, then following Don Stewart, a top spokesman for
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), is just as important. Stewart
is a regular Twitter user, and uses his feed to dispatch the latest news and
messaging. Weather afficionados should also take note: Stewart makes a hobby of
posting almost any D.C.-area weather alert.

Example of a recent tweet: Well, today’s session was
SUPPOSED to be five minutes. #SenSchumerStillSpeaking