Twitter already has over 300 employees, but Thursday it hired its first Washington D.C. staff member.
Adam Sharp, who previously held positions at C-SPAN, NBC News and the U.S. Senate, is joining Twitter as Manager of Government and Political Partnerships.
Don’t think Sharp will be Twitter’s official lobbyist, though.
Instead, the U.S. politics veteran will work closely with both candidates for office and policymakers at every level to ensure they are getting the most out of Twitter’s microblogging service. Politicians aren’t always the most tech-savvy people, so Sharp will ensure their voice is being heard among the constituency.
Before Sharp’s hiring, Twitter had already proven to be an invaluable tool in the political sphere, here in the United States and anywhere else in the world open to adding more communication channels. This past Tuesday, news and media organizations used Twitter to break the news of House and Senate losses and victories. In the months leading up to the election, pretty much every viable candidate employed a Twitter account to some degree, and not for nothing.
Twitter will likely only gain more influence in upcoming elections.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is to be replaced by Democratic victor Jerry Brown on January 3, even tweeted out his votes on state propositions.
Adam Sharp is departing his position as Executive Producer of Digital Services at C-SPAN. Previously, he’s served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Senator Mary L. Landrieu (D-La.), and Manager of eBusiness & Digitization at NBC News. With far-reaching experience in both politics and technology, Sharp couldn’t be more perfect for his new job.
