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Objective:
Social media has been widely adopted by government officials in recent years. Research suggests that social media use by politicians can be a component in broader strategic communication efforts aimed at achieving affective and political outcomes (Duncombe, 2019). This study aims to examine how political leaders at the state-level communicated with their constituents about divisive issues.
Data and Methods:
We rely on social media posts collected from the official Twitter accounts of state-level officials in Kentucky and Tennessee (n = 9,425). We conducted systematic thematic discovery, evaluating all posts for politically relevant content, legal salience, and proximity to the Hobbes decision.
Results:
Our analyses highlight how officials adopted different communication styles associated with engagement with the general public, the social construction of their image, and their positions on emergent legal issues. Additionally, we identified partisan distinctions in communication approaches with respect to so-called ‘Culture War’ issues. However, the majority of posted content was self-promotional or apolitical in nature.
Conclusions:
Contrary to expectations, while state-level politicians leverage their platforms to discuss emergent legal and political issues, this strategy appeared to be reactive and fleeting rather than persistent in driving a key partisan or social narrative.