Conservatives have long complained of being discriminated against by major social media platforms, and new evidence supports their claim.
According to Newsweek, high-profile Republicans like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gained followers after Twitter was purchased by free speech activist Elon Musk.
DeSantis picks up nearly 65,000 new Twitter followers in a single day
The magazine noted that while DeSantis gained 3,770 new Twitter followers on October 27, he gained a whopping 64,900 on October 28 immediately after Musk’s purchase of the platform was confirmed.
What’s more, the Republican governor then went on to pick up an additional 83,000 followers over the next three days.
This phenomenon was not limited to the Florida governor, as Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert’s new follower count jumped up from 1,848 to 33,897 between October 27 to October 28.
Meanwhile, Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake benefited from an influx of new followers as well, jumping from 1,618 new followers just before Musk’s takeover to 33,204 immediately afterward.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Matt Gaetz were two other Republicans who saw drastic changes as well, with both Republican lawmakers gaining tens of thousands of new followers as well.
Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and Vice President Kamala Harris lose followers
Interestingly, several high-profile Democratic figures saw their Twitter follower counts move in the opposite direction.
Newsweek noted that New York Rep. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and Vice President Kamala Harris both experienced drops in followership, leading to speculation that the platform was being abandoned by progressive users.
Elon Musk has repeatedly made clear that he intends to loosen Twitter’s rules governing speech, a fact which has upset many on the left.
They include a coalition called Stop the Deal, a coalition made up of left-leaning groups, including the Center for Countering Digital Hate, Accountable Tech, and the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
Newsweek quoted a statement from the organization which alleged that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter will turn the platform into an “even more hate-filled cesspool, leading to irreparable real-world harm.”
“Musk’s plans will leave the platform more vulnerable to security threats, rampant disinformation, and extremism just ahead of the midterm elections,” Stop the Deal went on to insist.