While many elected officials struggle to come up with ways to use new mediums to connect with their constituents, one conservative Congressman in Tennessee has been successful with social media through a simple strategy of being candid.
Representative Tim Burchett (R-Tn.) recently discussed his use of social media to connect with people in his district and across the country in an interview with the Daily Caller.
Burchett explained that while other politicians edited their social media videos, he wanted to take a more forthright approach.
“These people would produce these videos that were identical to mine, but they would edit them,” he said. “And I thought, yeah — and you could tell it was unedited in mine, obviously. It’s just me walking down the [hall] when I’m ticked off or happy or just explaining the mundane stuff that’s going on.”
While Burchett’s videos often center around political commentary, he also posts videos of himself longboarding near the Capitol and on various other subject matters, including a recent video where he gave advice to Gen Z men. (RELATED: Progressive Wisconsin Congressman Caught up in ‘Cyberstalking’ Allegations on X)
Burchett’s social media presence has caused him to gain a following outside of his district, as he said people will recognize him at airports and football games.
“I’m not good looking, or all that smart and all that popular up here, but I go through airports and people thank me,” he said. (RELATED: Wisconsin GOP Proposes Bill to Withhold Pay from Suspended Judges)
While platforms such as TikTok have become increasingly popular as a source for political news, X still stands out as the most explicitly political platform. A Pew Research poll found that 59% of X users utilize the platform to keep up on politics.In addition to his presence on X, Burchett recently launched a podcast called ‘Unscripted’, where his first guest was a veteran highlighting misuse of taxpayer dollars in Afghanistan.
