Phoenix Election Social Media Wars: Gullett And Neely

Election Social Media Wars: Gullett & Neely

Social media has become an important and effective marketing tool, with businesses creating Facebook pages and Twitter accounts for their customers, sharing deals and special offers. And it’s no less important in a race for mayor, especially for the Phoenix election mayoral candidates.

We visited all of the Phoenix mayoral candidates’ respective social media pages to get a better idea of how they represent themselves and their campaigns. It’s one thing to believe what the media and rival candidates say about one another, but how are they connecting with their supporters and how are they bettering their campaigns via social media?

Yesterday, we covered Claude Mattox and Greg Stanton. Today, we’ll look at Wes Gullett and Peggy Neely.

Wes Gullett

Based off Wes Gullett’s website, his campaign doesn’t pinpoint just one or two topics, but an array of issues, including the following: his Seven Point Jobs Plan, working toward a better government, safe and affordable water for the city, “making Phoenix the small business capital of America,” increasing public safety, creating pay raises for employees and enforcing SB 1070.

Facebook & Twitter

In addition to Gullett’s Tweets thanking his volunteers and supporters as well as posts providing updates on his campaign — including links to articles and video posts, there are many Tweets from supporters. Here are few posts from his Twitter:

	“As a Phoenix resident, I am proud to support for @wesgullett for mayor.”
	“@wesgullett, funny humane thoughtful guy is running for Mayor of Phoenix. Pretty great when guys like him are willing to step up.”

	“We cannot elect the same politicians and expect things to get better. We need new leadership new ideas and real results”
	“A big thank you to all our volunteers! They are working hard and spreading our message. Come join the fun this weekend – … “

As for Gullett’s Facebook, the posts are very similar to those on his Twitter page. However, Deb & Wes Gullett do respond very quickly to questions and posts by supporters — very thorough responses, too. For instance:

“Can you please clarify your position on SB 1070? Peggy Neely sent out a flier saying you opposed it then flip flopped.” Response: “Peggy Neely’s campaign is clearly in free fall and she is desperate and willing to say anything or attempt to deflect attention from herself so that she keep her power. Her campaign’s efforts to confuse voters especially after the devastating article in the media today. I have been consistent that the City of Phoenix must and will enforce the laws of Arizona including SB 1070 if I am Mayor. … “

Peggy Neely

Based off Peggy Neely’s website, she has focused her campaign on spotlighting the local economy, including attracting jobs and small businesses, balancing the city budget and reducing the size of government, protecting public safety, increasing government accessibility and transparency, encouraging quality education, and supporting strong neighborhoods.

Peggy Neely is close behind Gullett regarding the number of “friends” and “followers” she has on her Facebook and Twitter. This is what I gathered from her usage of social media…

Facebook & Twitter

Much like her website, Neely’s Twitter account emphasizes her plans and her endorsements. Here a few:

	“Proud to be a consensus builder. That is why I am proud to be endorsed by both Councilmembers Johnson and DiCiccio.”
	“View my plans and my comprehensive plans at PeggyNeely.com. #phxmayor”
	“I am proud of Councilman Michael Johnson’s endorsement. He is a long time friend and an early supporter.”

As for Neely’s Facebook page, which has over 500 followers, her posts are — like Gullett’s — very similar to those on Twitter, sharing the same links, almost as if they both use an auto-post feature.

Neely shares on Facebook her accomplishments and endorsements as well as her comments regarding the other candidates, including:

	I am proud of my track record of bringing people together to build consensus and find solutions. Phoenix has been a well-run city and a place we can all be proud of, but it is time to do more.
	We need more transparency in government. We don’t even know who Mr. Gullett’s clients are. How could the taxpayers ever trust he was serving them instead of himself?
	I am proud to be endorsed by Councilman Michael Johnson. We share a desire to focus on the development and economic growth of the city, the creation of more jobs for Phoenix residents, a commitment to the community, and our ability to maintain the quality of basic city services.

No. of Friends & Followers for each Mayoral Candidate:

As of August 17, 2011, sourced from the social media pages linked to each candidates’ website:

Claude Mattox		2,936 Friends
		774 Followers
Greg Stanton		1,309 Friends
		578 Followers
Wes Gullett		757 Friends
		234 Followers
Peggy Neely		507 Friends
		450 Followers
Jennifer Wright		494 Friends
		126 Followers
Anna Brennan		101 Friends
		40 Followers

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Election Voting Dates & Times:

Saturday, August 27, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Monday, August 29, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday, August 30 (Election Day), 6 a.m. – 7 p.m. [/stextbox]

Election social media — is it important to winning an election? What do you think?

Do you think the candidates’ social media pages, “friends” and “followers” have any impact on the election and who will win the mayoral race? Let us know. If it is, it looks like Mattox is leading the pack.