Sanders, Warren have largest Facebook followings in Congress

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) have the largest Facebook followings of all lawmakers in Congress, according to a new Pew Center research analysis Monday.

Sanders leads the way with more than 7 million followers on the social media site, while Warren has more than 3 million followers.

{mosads}The Pew analysis found that lawmakers who were more ideologically partisan on both sides typically had more Facebook followers. It also found that former presidential candidates and party leaders were likely to have more followers.

Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) led the way among House lawmakers with more than 1.3 million Facebook followers. Gowdy, who recently became chair of the House Oversight Committee, also chaired the House Benghazi Committee that hounded Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

Senators with Facebook followings of close to 1 million people include Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). McCain, Cruz and Paul are former GOP presidential candidates, while Franken and Harris are both rumored to be in the mix as possible 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.

The most popular House lawmakers on Facebook after Gowdy include Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).