They may not be as rambunctious as former candidate Jon Huntsman’s @Jon2012girls, but Mitt Romney’s sons are making a name for themselves on Twitter. Well, at least some of them are.
Four of Romney’s five sons—who range in age from 30 to 42— have been active on Twitter as their father makes a run for the White House. The four boys, Josh, Craig, Tagg and Matt (Ben doesn’t have public a Twitter), have become non-confrontational surrogates for their dad. Since joining Twitter, they’ve gained a small, but respectable following. It’s a good system because it gets Romney’s message out without the clutter of politics—with the sons, it’s just family.
The Romney boys are by no means Twitter stars; Their number of followers range anywhere from 1,000 to 15,000, with eldest son Tagg by far the most active Twitter user.
Most of the Romneys’ tweets are about stops along the campaign trail and provide insight into the off-camera and lighter moments of the race.
“Craig gave me a little shock by sticking this thing down the back of my pants while saying bye in Tampa. Brothers,” Josh wrote in early September, with a link to an image of a creepy, crawly bug.
The four boys are also frequent re-tweeters, and much of their feed is taken up with messages from their dad, Mitt. Tagg is also an occasional Instagram user, often taking shots on the road, such as this GOP meeting in Michigan.
And, like their Dad’s campaign, the Romney sons aren’t taking a lot of risks—especially in comparison to the previous GOP presidential candidate’s daughter. Meghan McCain has been active on Twitter for the last few years, engaging in heated debates at times (including a 2011 exchange with political commentator Tucker Carlson).
Of course, maybe a little spice helps? McCain has amassed 193,000 Twitter followers, more than all four Romney boys combined. Even the Huntsman daughters’ joint account has more than 24,000 followers.
And while the children of Republican candidates seem active on Twitter and social media, what of Barack Obama’s two daughters? Well, don’t expect to see them on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ this election season. During a 2011 interview, First Lady Michelle Obama said she won’t allow Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, to have Facebook profiles any time soon.
Image via Mitt Romney/Facebook