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By the numbers: Political tweets turn blue in 2018

Alexandria ocasio cortez raises her hands.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

New data from Twitter shows the top 10 U.S. politicians who were most tweeted about in the few weeks after the midterm elections were Democrats, replacing a list that was once dominated by GOP lawmakers the majority of 2018.

Why it matters: The political clout and conversation is changing with its politicians. Republicans like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) who once dominated the subject of tweets, are now being replaced by nominated House speaker Nancy Pelosi and outgoing Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke in the rankings, per Twitter.

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Data: Twitter; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

By the numbers: Twitter tracked the most tweeted about elected officials or candidates before and after the midterms.

  • The top five most tweeted about politicians during the year were Republicans, with Donald Trump holding the number one spot. After the election, spots two though six were Democrats — though Trump still held the top spot.
  • Twitter users closely followed along with elections in states like Georgia and Florida that were too close to call after the polls closed.

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2018 midterm elections
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