Paul Ryan VP pick adds social media muscle

Mitt Romney didn’t just get a running mate in Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) — he inherited a robust, engaged social media apparatus that will be critical to volunteerism and conservative voter turnout.

Rep Ryan is an anomaly in the House. He’s a star politician who had more Twitter followers before the announcement than Republican House Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), and almost any other congressional figure save current House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The tea party groups who are crucial to the GOP’s chances may be some of the most active, savvy online denizens in American politics. Romney’s social media profile is broad but not deep, meaning he has a lot of followers — almost 4 million on Facebook and more than 800,000 on Twitter — but the enthusiasm and engagement expected from such a large audience was muted.