For Republicans, the political influence of X is greater than ever

More than three years after Elon Musk acquired X—and despite a major exodus of liberal activists and advocacy groups—the platform continues to occupy a critical space in American politics while growing increasingly dominated by the Right. 

The platform formerly known as Twitter has had its ups and downs under Musk’s ownership, from advertiser boycotts to system-wide glitches, product rollouts and reversals, and an exodus of liberal voices to other platforms. But, through it all, the site remains a critical place where the political news cycle is shaped, breaking news is monitored, and staffers (yes, even Democrats) spend hours a day scrolling endlessly. 

In November of 2025, when The New York Times published an investigation into large-scale social services fraud in Minnesota, the response was relatively muted. Outside of a few local news stories, the scandal didn’t gain traction until right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley released a sensational, highly controversial video that turned the issue into a national firestorm. While Shirley’s video drew several million views on YouTube, it was on X that the story truly exploded, reaching policymakers, journalists, bookers, and even the Vice President of the United States. “This dude has done far more useful journalism than any of the winners of the 2024 Pulitzer,” JD Vance wrote, quote-tweeting Shirley. In addition to Vance, nearly every major right-wing influencer and media personality reshared the video, and as of today, Shirley’s post on X has more than 142 million views.

The uproar surrounding Shirley’s investigation—amplified by X and fueled by his subsequent media tour—was so intense that it ultimately led Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to withdraw from his re-election campaign.

The rapid spread of the Shirley video is just one example of the platform’s continued political influence, which has become especially visible for conservatives. A study in Nature, released last month, found that X’s feed algorithm “promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media.” This study follows years of reporting, allegations, and observations that the platform under Musk’s ownership favors right-wing content. 

The study’s findings are most visible when you look at which political accounts are currently receiving the most post views on the platform. According to data from Magnitude Media, Right-leaning accounts regularly receive far more post views than their liberal counterparts. Out of the top 100 most-viewed X accounts posting about politics in February 2026, 74 were conservative-leaning and 26 were liberal-leaning. 

Given those factors, Democrats are faced with a tough choice: engage on the platform that may be rigged against them, or leave altogether, only to reach a smaller, more homogenous audience of liberals. 

“I think we cede a lot by running away,” says the person behind @OrganizerMemes, an anonymous progressive X account popular in Democratic political circles. “Either we're reaching the people that are there anyway, or we're not. Maybe the platform was 60-40 against you, but by everyone leaving, now its 80-20. So now you've lost more people because no one's even making your counterargument there.”

American political life still runs, for better or worse, on the currencies of visibility, attention, and partisan outrage, and X remains a place where those currencies hold their value. Democrats and progressive groups can turn away from the platform, but the conversation will go on without them.

Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), considered to be a potential candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028, had harsh words for former Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland during an event hosted by the American Economic Liberties Project. "I think he was a coward, and if I can ever take down his photo from the US attorney's office, I will gladly do it." 

Gallego’s comments reflect a frustration from Democrats that the mild-mannered Garland did not do enough to prosecute Donald Trump, and did little to facilitate the release of the Epstein Files. 

New survey data from AP-NORC shows that Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to the war in Iran, with only 12% of respondents in favor of “deploying troops on the ground,” and 59% saying military action has “gone too far.”

Dr. Annie Andrews, a Democrat running against Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, posted an innuendo-filled video criticizing the once–Trump antagonist turned loyalist: