Rep. Polis wins social-media contest for House Democrats

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) won this year's race for new connections on social media by House Democrats.

“Thanks to the hard work of members and their staff, this competition was a great success and House Democrats are connected with over 139,000 more Americans than we were just three weeks ago," House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a statement. Hoyer's office oversees the challenge. "While the competition has come to an end, Democrats will continue to make social media a priority so that we can engage with even more constituents online and get our message out across the country.”

Runners-up this year included Reps. Bruce Braley (Iowa), Karen Bass (Calif.) and Loretta Sanchez (Calif.).

The third annual “Member Online All-Star Competition," launched in mid-July and lasting three weeks, chooses a winner based on the total number of new Facebook fans, Twitter followers and YouTube subscribers acquired during that time.

House Democrats and House Republicans have held separate but similar contests for the past three years to encourage members in their use of and innovation with new-media tools.

Hoyer's office said this year's increase in followers on the three social networks surpasses last year's total by 82,000.

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