Moderates in Congress go local on Facebook more than the most ideological members

While highly ideological members of Congress tend to use their Facebook posts to criticize political opponents and support their allies, moderate lawmakers are more likely to concentrate on local issues in their outreach on the platform. For the average moderate legislator, about 54% of a member’s Facebook posts discussed places, groups, individuals or events in the politician’s state or district. But for the average very liberal or very conservative legislator (that is, among the 10% most liberal or 10% most conservative members by the same measure), just 38% of posts dealt with local issues. Instead, those very liberal and very conservative members were especially likely to express opposition toward their political adversaries and support for other members of their own party.