Ward 6 Councilmember and would-be Mayor Tommy Wells will take his campaign to Reddit this week, with an Ask Me Anything discussion scheduled for Sunday. Which got us thinking: What would be the social networks of choice for other local political figures?
Who: Ward 8 Councilmember Marion Barry
What: Twitter
Why: From old SNCC photos to live updates on Scandal, Barry’s Twitter feed is already one of the best in the District.
Who: Ward 2 Councilmember (and mayoral candidate) Jack Evans
What: Pinterest
Why: Evans loves photos of celebrities, politicians, local bigwigs—anyone, really, as long as they’re posing with Evans. The 266 photos on his John A. Wilson Building office wall are perfect for the image-heavy site. Plus, he can collect ideas for new office furniture.
Who: Ward 4 Councilmember (and mayoral candidate) Muriel Bowser
What: LinkedIn
Why: Bowser’s businesslike, on-message mayoral campaign would fit right in with the corporate-focused networking site. (But will voters ignore her appeals like users do connection requests?)
Who: Former Adrian Fenty confidante Ron Moten
What: Soundcloud
Why: Moten’s “Go-Go for Fenty” campaign put out some of D.C.’s best new music during the 2010 election, even if the anthem “Don’t Leave Us Fenty” didn’t turn out to move many votes.
Who: Mayor Vince Gray
What: StrikeBaseball.com
Why: It calls itself a “diverse community of baseball players, coaches, parents and instructors.” Where better for the ex-pro-prospect mayor to distract himself from federal investigations?
Who: At-Large Councilmember David Grosso
What: Headbuzz.org
Why: “Social networking for pot smokers and stoners,” Headbuzz will let Grosso reconnect with his youthful days following the Grateful Dead around the country (and getting busted on a misdemeanor weed charge in Florida 20 years ago).
Photos by Darrow Montgomery