Politicians Are A-Twitter About Social Media

Social media is now a given in political campaigns. A contender without a Twitter handle is hardly a contender at all.

Candidates use the microblogging service as a way to share their positions and sentiments on an array of topics. Many prominent politicians even use it to announce campaigns for office. Today’s “attention economy” demands that messages be short and to the point, making a 140-character tweet the perfect vehicle for bite-sized rhetoric. Candidates also use platforms like Twitter to occasionally bicker with each other as well as to show off facets of their unique personalities.

While there are way too many candidates for us to ever know for sure, it’s a safe bet that every person officially running for president in the 2016 election has a Twitter account. So truly, unless you forgo all media, there is no escape.

Are you a political enthusiast, or are you generally apathetic? Either way, you can still join the fun by trying out this quiz composed of real tweets from real presidential contenders.

Match The Tweet to the Candidate: Who Tweeted This?

1. “In the plane heading to the Iowa State Fair. Will be great fun. Hopefully giving helicopter rides to some of the kids.”

A. Lindsey Graham

B. Hillary Clinton

C. Donald Trump

2. “Boot duel with @joniernst at the Iowa State Fair. Who wins? Tweet us your vote.”

A. Hillary Clinton

B. Jeb Bush

C. Bernie Sanders

3. “Be inspired. Be bacon. #IAStateFair”

A. Ted Cruz

B. Chris Christie

C. Jeb Bush

4. “Everyone has a story. If you’d like to know more, you can read it in my free e-book.”

A. Lindsey Graham

B. Hillary Clinton

C. Rand Paul

5. “It’s #WorldEmojiDay

”

A. Jeb Bush

B. Marco Rubio

C. Jim Webb

6. “I met a fellow joyful tortoise on the way to the Reagan Library.”

A. Scott Walker

B. Jeb Bush

C. Hillary Clinton

7. “Just checked out Mast General Store with @AmyRybergDoyle. They have everything you could ever need in there!”

A. Ted Cruz

B. Rand Paul

C. Chris Christie

8. “Waiting to take off listening to a little Motown on my new iPhone.”

A. Lindsey Graham

B. Bernie Sanders

C. Marco Rubio

9. Re-tweet challenge: Whose campaign re-tweeted this?

“Who knew a pork chop on a stick was a thing? […] Only at the #IowaStateFair”

A. Hillary Clinton

B. Marco Rubio

C. Jim Webb

10. Re-tweet super challenge: Whose campaign retweeted this?

“I’m very happy your [sic] running for President.”

A. Jim Webb

B. Scott Walker

C. Jeb Bush

Answer key:

1. C
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. C
8. A
9. A
10. A

How did you do? Tell us your score in the comments section or see how you stack up against your friends by sharing this quiz!

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Kristen Jackson—Editor