
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but can you judge a candidate by their tweets?
Social media has become an increasingly important part of not only our daily lives, but has proven to be important politically.
In the 2010 municipal election, Twitter was credited as a huge tool for Nenshi’s success, partially because of his ability to engage with his audience.
As reported by the Calgary Herald on Oct. 13, in their story “Nenshi winning Twitter war, suggests social media analysis,” vice-president of analytics for Mainstreet Research Joseph Angolano says that Nenshi’s Twitter account has seen nearly triple the amount of activity compared to challenger Bill Smith’s page in the current election.
According to Angolano, where Nenshi saw 17,276 Twitter responses, Smith only saw 6,392 between Oct. 2 and Oct. 12.
“The mayor’s supporters have always been a younger demographic and it’s not surprising to see his supporters following social media more,” Angolano shared with the Herald.
Because of the huge role Twitter has played in previous elections, we decided to take a look at how the mayoral candidates for this election are utilizing Twitter.
A breakdown of the number of tweets made on each of the candidate’s Twitter pages since their creation. Some of the candidates tweet more than others, some have had their accounts longer, while some just don’t use Twitter very often. Note that Heather and Nenshi’s results are not to scale because of the vast difference in number of tweets.
Jason Achtymichuk (Jason GoGo)
Twitter: @jasongogo
Achtymichuk has been a Twitter user since 2009, but only recently picked up tweeting with regularity on Sept. 18. Although not a prolific user by some standards (330 tweets as of Oct. 15, 2017), Achtymichuk is a regular retweeter, with his own commentary to add. These additions often run the gamut from serious to joking, but all remain election related.
A frequent topic on Achtymichuk’s feed is the exclusion of candidates from debates or media events. From a forum on Sept. 27, 2017 where he had not been invited, and Bill Smith had not attended, Achtymichuk was critical, saying that the forum had been “boring”.
A forum as boring as the candidates @nenshi @TeamBillSmith @chabot4calgary …it had more sidestepping than a stampede line-dance#gogogovote https://t.co/mPwkcoirLJ
— Jason Gogo (@jasongogo) September 28, 2017
On Oct. 6, Achtymichuk retweeted a series of tweets by user @ThisIsMeCassie discussing the regulation of cannabis. In a following tweet, Achtymichuk says that no other candidate is discussing the legalization of marijuana in July 2018. Achtymichuk has commented on the subject primarily through his Twitter account.
The Green Line is the @nenshi @TeamBillSmith argument of the day,in the mean time no one is talking about Cannabis and July1/18 #gogogovote
— Jason Gogo (@jasongogo) October 6, 2017
Achtymichuk is following 120 other accounts on Twitter. These accounts are mostly other politicians in office, or hopefuls running in the election. Alongside this, he also is following local news organizations such as CTV News Calgary, and HuffPost Alberta. His followers, clocking in at 339 as of Oct. 15, 2017, are largely local individuals and businesses, as well as other candidates, and political accounts.
Andre Chabot
Twitter: @chabot4calgary
With only 167 tweets as of Oct. 15, 2017, Chabot is the mayoral candidate with the third number of tweets. Chabot’s Twitter account was created February 2017 for campaigning purposes. One of Chabot’s main Twitter tactics is responding to noteworthy tweets from others to add his voice to the conversation. Additionally, he often notifies followers of future events he will be taking part in.
Fought against the Carbon tax and will be announcing a renewables plan today to cut the costs of this levy on Calgary. #yycvote
— Andre Chabot (@chabot4calgary) October 3, 2017
Of his 167 total tweets, 21 have been retweets from journalist Sarah Lawrynuik of CBC (@SarahLawrynuik) on the night of Oct. 2, 2017 from the Chamber of Commerce Debates event at the Palace Theatre. These retweets contain either summaries or direct quotes, of his answers from the debate.
.@chabot4calgary it is “absolutely critical” we look at how to move forward on new arena, spinoff effects would be huge #yycvote
— Sarah Lawrynuik (@SarahLawrynuik) October 3, 2017
Chabot often retweets content involving him and his campaign. He replies to several tweets weekly, and does not shy away from answering bluntly.
I’ve been called a work alcoholic and my brother called me a slave driver for making him work like but never lazy.
— Andre Chabot (@chabot4calgary) October 3, 2017
Rather than engaging with his audience to clear up misinformation, Chabot simply tells Twitter user @403Steve that he has the wrong facts.
Chabot is following 1,840 other Twitter accounts. From following many individuals, to other politicians, like Kent Hehr, or political hopefuls running in the election, to oil and gas companies, journalists and various organizations and local businesses, Chabot follows a wide variety.
Emile Gabriel
Twitter: @Gabriel4Mayor
Since joining Twitter in August, Gabriel is the candidate with the least number of tweets. With only 42 tweets as of Oct. 15, Gabriel tweets once or twice a day, often missing days in between.
The 42 tweets that populate Gabriel’s account feature tweets produced by his campaign, but include no retweets or replies. Notably, Gabriel also does not use hashtags, including #yycvote which has been used for discussion and sharing information over the course of the election campaigns.
Gabriel’s tweets often discuss what he will do for the city when he is elected mayor and sometimes contain criticism of other candidates. He recently clarified his feelings about one of his frequent targets, incumbent mayor Naheed Nenshi.
I would Like to Clarify some Misunderstanding by Some People
Please read below: pic.twitter.com/N9UiVROsvf— Emile Gabriel (@Gabriel4Mayor) October 4, 2017
More recently, Gabriel’s tweets have shown comparison tables between himself and other candidates.
On OCT. 16, which one would you choose? Emile Gabriel who is for the struggling people and has the right qualification, or The media choice. pic.twitter.com/lTXYqX3F57
— Emile Gabriel (@Gabriel4Mayor) October 6, 2017
Gabriel follows 916 Twitter users. These include politicians and candidates at all levels, from municipal to federal, as well as many local individuals, with a strong presence of university students and teachers. His 125 followers include fellow candidates and individuals throughout the city, with the exception of a few local organizations including the Calgary-Centre Conservatives (@yyccentreCPC).
Larry Heather
Twitter: @CalgarySenate
Larry Heather is a prolific tweeter. With over 55,000 tweets since joining in September 2013, Heather has the second highest tweet count behind Nenshi. Heather’s Twitter feed is far from comparable to the other candidates. Rather than using Twitter solely for campaigning purposes, Heather shares many personal viewpoints on issues not being discussed in this municipal election while still incorporating his stance on more topical issues. Many of his tweets are religious in nature.
Evangelical Pastors “We’re embarrassed by Larry’s ‘Christ’s Lordship over City Hall’ Our new Jesus too nice to turn over tables” #yycvote pic.twitter.com/mPj3W3XBx6
— ????Larry Heather (@CalgarySenate) September 29, 2017
Additionally, Heather’s tweets sometimes lack context as evident in the tweet below.
And the fake news goes on….the media fav for non fav Mayoral Candidates is now the skinny ‘seven other men.’ #yyccc #yycvotes #yycvotes
— ????Larry Heather (@CalgarySenate) October 6, 2017
Heather is following 619 accounts including one called Canada Media Bias (@CanadaMediaBias) aiming to “expose the liberal bias in Canadian and International media.” Other accounts followed include a fraternal organization (@ProudboysCanada ), the entire Trump family, several Mike Pence accounts and an anti-Nenshi Twitter account (@NoMoreNenshi). Heather is also following several other organizations including some in the oil and gas sector, individuals and local companies.
Followers of Heather ring in at 930.
David Lapp
Twitter: @davidlapp4mayor
David Lapp created his Twitter campaign page in August. His first tweet on Sept. 8 was about his excitement to be on Twitter and to be running for mayor. As of Oct. 15, Lapp has accumulated 117 tweets.
The majority of Lapp’s tweets are about events he is at, or will be attending. He often retweets after the event, typically thanking the hosts of the event.
Thank you UofC SU & GSA, Tara Nelson and thank you to all those that came out to support the Mayoral Candidates! #yyc vote #davidlapp4mayor
— +1 403-991-2481 (@davidlapp4mayor) September 21, 2017
Unlike other candidates, Lapp typically does not engage beyond retweets as seen with user @jtraptow, who asked Lapp to clarify a claim he had made.
Can you please substantiate your claim that Council has fired every auditor they have had in the past couple of years?
— Josh Traptow (@jtraptow) September 28, 2017
Following 218 accounts, Lapp follows mainly local organizations including @Can_Oilsands, and @calgarydropin, as well a journalists and news organizations. Lapp currently has the smallest following of any of the candidates, with 33 followers.
Naheed Nenshi
Twitter: @nenshi
Nenshi has the largest Twitter following of all the candidates with 337,000 followers. Since opening his account in April 2009, Nenshi has been active with 55,900 tweets on his page
Scrolling through Nenshi’s page, it becomes clear that the majority of tweets on his page are retweets from Calgarians and news outlets rather than his own tweets. Many of these retweets are from individuals supporting his campaign platform.
Nenshi has a plan, a vision, & the policy to back it up. I can’t possibly respect Smith, as I have no idea (nor does he) what his plans are
— Timothy Collard (@Collardsgreens) October 13, 2017
However, his audience engagement does not stop with retweeting. Nenshi often joins conversations on Twitter and shares photos to show he is out chatting with Calgarians about the issues facing the city.
After an early morning, good conversation and refuelling at @highergcafe in Kensington. pic.twitter.com/GDTttctjUH
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) October 12, 2017
Nenshi is not afraid to crack jokes on his Twitter account, which helps to further engage his audience and illustrate his personality.
One of us has one letter wrong. #NeamTenshi pic.twitter.com/AXWidtzblH
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) October 12, 2017
Having had an entire political career as mayor to accumulate Twitter followers, Nenshi has the largest following and most audience engagement. He routinely brings citizens into the conversations and doesn’t shy away from engaging with critics, occasionally running himself into trouble.
I’m truly sorry that came off as sexist. I would and have said the same thing to men in political discourse. https://t.co/e71BuxELy3
— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) January 11, 2017
Nenshi follows 1,247 accounts. Many of these accounts belong to Calgarians, reporters and local businesses. He follows Michelle Obama, several YYC transit option accounts, the Calgary Police Digital Communications Officer (@CstSmith), as well as the accounts of several athletes and musicians like James Blunt.
Curtis Olson
Twitter: @curtisinyyc
Curtis Olson joined Twitter in May 2012, and has accumulated 1,279 tweets since then.
Olsen often uses Twitter to engage other political candidates, or media organizations. Several of his tweets have been requests to major Calgary news outlets to cover his campaign strategies.
Last chance before the #yycelection..I’m inviting all #yyc Mayoral candidates to #runwithCurtis tomorrow at 8:30 am (Fort Calgary) #CPlanYYC pic.twitter.com/KiqWFQPb16
— Curtis Olson (@curtisinyyc) October 13, 2017
Despite the fact that I’m not funded by ‘big money’ & the special interest @calgaryherald will you cover my campaign #ForCalgarians today? https://t.co/2QuFzYwQ4F
— Curtis Olson (@curtisinyyc) October 9, 2017
Many of his tweets are targeted toward voters. Olson shares his main platform points, new interviews and where he can be found in the city if individuals would like to chat. His account does not contain many retweets from others; most of Olson’s Twitter use comes in the form of self-written tweets or replies to others.
VIDEO: I’m calling for 1% to be returned to business owners as a business tax rebate https://t.co/fLqFpjC54N#CPlanYYC #ForCalgarians pic.twitter.com/tdNmgPixXA
— Curtis Olson (@curtisinyyc) October 10, 2017
Scrolling down his Twitter feed it becomes clear that he has been involved in the community and engaged on social media for a while. Many of his personal tweets reflect an enjoyment of sports.
Great game @calstampeders – tonight it was ‘More Calgary..Less Ottawa’ #CFLHomeOpener #GoStampsGo pic.twitter.com/mBRvBoKWyq
— Curtis Olson (@curtisinyyc) June 30, 2017
Often, Olson will tweet photos with a Bitmoji caricature of himself when letting his followers know what he is up to.
Met 2 women @Starbucks #EastHillsYYC..didn’t like the options for Mayor..after hearing about my campaign said ‘we know who to vote for now’ pic.twitter.com/ktRxnguRIY
— Curtis Olson (@curtisinyyc) September 23, 2017
Olson has a following of 1,035 and is following 776 accounts including local organizations such as Meals on Wheels, The Calgary Food Bank, Eastside Kia, and more. Other accounts he follows include numerous radio stations and individuals involved in radio production, individual’s accounts, journalists and political hopefuls running in wards around the city.
Bill Smith
Twitter: @TeamBillSmith
After creating his official campaign account in June 2017, Bill Smith has racked up 533 tweets, starting it all off with an infographic of his platform.
#yyccc pic.twitter.com/s0jMpwpkS6
— Team Bill Smith (@TeamBillSmith) July 25, 2017
Smith’s account takes a focused approach, one of strictly election business. Well-rounded in tweeting habits, Smith’s account is a mix of original tweets, retweets and replies to inquiries. These tweets range from thanking community members for supporting his campaign or volunteering their time, to tweeting about recent polling statistics.
{Supporter Spotlight} Members of the Sikh community invited Bill to a coffee party at a home. #yyc #yycvote #yyccc #thankyou pic.twitter.com/UaGiWCgS6G
— Team Bill Smith (@TeamBillSmith) October 13, 2017
Most unique on Smith’s feed is the question and answer feature he posts from mayoral forums. Unlike most candidates, who retweet what reporters or others present have posted during the forum, Smith curates his own answers.
Q1: what incentive are reasonable to draw companies like Amazon? How would you make up for the shortfall in revenue? #yyccc #yycvote
— Team Bill Smith (@TeamBillSmith) October 11, 2017
A1: I’d love to see @Amazon here but it has to make sense. How attractive are we as a city with all the increases in taxes. #yyccc #yycvote
— Team Bill Smith (@TeamBillSmith) October 11, 2017
Currently following 654 accounts, Smith follows many Calgary organizations. He follows multiple community associations, charities, sport organizations, members of the police, reporters, news stations and local individuals. His 2,272 followers are largely individuals, but also includes some Calgary organization like @SportCalgary, a well as reporters and other candidates.
aendruhn@cjournal.ca and rwelsh@cjournal.ca
Editor: Anna Junker | ajunker@cjournal.ca