Rational 360 leveraged social media data to uncover which individuals and organizations that are the most followed on social media by the 118th Congress (2023-2025). By mapping online influence over these decision makers, Rational 360 has new insight into the connections between media and power in the nation’s capital.
The analysis answers questions such as:
- What news outlets and journalists do policymakers pay most attention to?
- Which political party has more influence on its Members in Congress?
- Who in Hollywood is the most listened to by policymakers?
- How can opinion leaders and communications professionals use influencers to shift policymaker perceptions?
Our Process for Identifying Top Influencers on Each Political Party in the 118th Congress
Step 1: Build & Sort
Rational 360 identified both official and personal social media handles of each member of the 118th Congress (2023-2025) across both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
Step 2: Identify & Quantify
Rational 360 identified which voices Members of Congress follow most.
- Influencers – People with the most Congress Members following them.
- Influence Score – The number of Members of Congress following an Influencer.
Step 3: Categorize & Analyze
Rational 360 organized Influencers into six buckets. A qualitative analysis of top-ranked voices in each category reveals insights into who is influencing the 118th Congress.
- Media Figures
- News Outlets
- Political Figures
- Policy Influencers
- Policy Organizations
- Non-Policy Influencers
This document will detail key findings and map out paths for how your business or organization can influence power in the nation’s capital.
