37 Comments - BC - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:09 pm: Lobbyist John Amdor’s Twitter account. Not only does it provide witty commentary, but valuable links to data and other evidence backing up whatever point he’s making. Lots of good historical references too. If half of the rest of politically focused social media was like this, I wouldn’t be so pessimistic about the future of our republic. - Arsenal - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:14 pm: The @chicagobars twitter feed. I don’t always agree with him, but he’s ride or die for his industry. He pulls back the curtain on legislation and regulations at all levels. And his relentless promotion of Chicago bars and restaurants basically amounts to a public service. He’s constantly retweeting their specials, and if you want a recommendation, you can just @ him. - Oswego Willy - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:15 pm: This is one of those categories this year that only one name comes to mind. If you’re looking for the best use of social media in Illinois politics, this year it begins and ends with one. There’s not one social media that I looked to more, every single day, that not only informed, but used the platform to its maximum. Anyone can retweet, anyone can quote. This social media not only informed, but went next level with no reason to do it but to better clarify and show what it all means. Daily, we got graphs, charts, allowed for the information to have true context when it easily coulda been a simple regurgitation. This social media was cited, pointed to, it was the twitter of record for the pandemic information. Hannah Meisel was head and shoulders above all Illinois social media. How Hannah used twitter, she was the go-to twitter to grasp and understand how the numbers and trends, and gave perspective, doing some incredible work in the medium when she didn’t even need to. Now, you add in her coverage of the state, her writings, her generous sharing of colleagues’ works to boost signals, this year, it’s Hannah… and everybody else a distant second. Hannah is also engaging, funny, sarcastically smart to other twitter things, truly a twitter that if you’re not checking it out, you’re missing out. I nominate Hannah Meisel for Best Use of Social Media in Illinois Politics The service she provided this year, it was not only the best use… it was the best. She is deserving by unselfishly making the medium important and relevant when so much of what can be found is neither, and being so relevant to our days in Illinois too. - Wow - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:17 pm: Hannah M for sure - John Amdor - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:18 pm: When my few friends who are normal people ask me who they should follow on Twitter to get news about Illinois government, Hannah Meisel is at the top of the list. Hannah’s reporting and accompanying social media presents news and analysis in a way that’s useful for insiders and accessible to normies. This has been the case for years but it’s been especially vital through the pandemic this year. Her daily COVID charts are a yeoman’s job, giving the rest of us a helpful visual aid in tracking the virus throughout the state.  Hannah’s Twitter feed is also a well-curated aggregator of the best tweets of the day, both serious and amusing. And her thoughtful, caring, tenacious, funny personality shines through it all. There’s nobody else’s social media use I can think of that measures up to hers this year. - One Opinion - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:23 pm: To me Chris Welch gets the nod - his interesting and creative use of social media, including his interview programs with every meaningful elected official, has set a new bar. Chris has become one of our state’s most high profile officials in large measure due to his effective use of social media. Still have his family dancing in my mind, like a song you him the refrain to without thinking. - NotMe - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:23 pm: Some good noms here, but Hannah Meisel stands out for so many reasons. As another commenter noted, her feed is an amazing mix of well crafted charts sharing complex facts in absorbable ways along with important stories & a healthy dose of fun. - Can - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:24 pm: I agree with Willy. Whether it’s her coverage of Covid, elections, state’s fiscal situation, or pretty much anything, Hannah Meisel’s twitter feed is a must read. Comprehensive coverage and she has a sense of humor. I vote for Hannah for Best Use if Social Media. - AlfondoGonz - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:29 pm: As the definition of “social media” expands to nearly any online platform where people engage with one another, I leap at this opportunity to, by the merits, brown nose and nominate a certain Rich Miller. - DriXander - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:36 pm: Hannah for the mix of politics & personality that many have noted, but runner up has to be @BauerJournalism who is an amazing live-tweeter of the Gov’s & Mayor’s pressers. Huge help to someone like myself, working from home with kids, that’s liable to miss something at some point, and somehow Kelly manages to direct quote (in a thread, thank goodness) the majority of the press conference. Huge service. - Rich Miller - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:36 pm: ===nominate a certain Rich Miller=== I decline and so does my dad. lol But thanks. - Drink local - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:37 pm: Hannah Meisel hands down. She is one of the hardest working people out there- and is evidenced by the time and attention she puts day in and day out to deliver COVID stats and her soon-to-be award winning graphs. Beyond the information she provides, she is witty and a trusted voice for all things IL politics. - Slugger O'Toole - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:42 pm: I agree on Hannah, but have to throw Kyle Hillman into the mix if for no other reason than he can tweet “It’s an honor just to be nominated”. He introduces conversations that people are not having. Plus, usually a little snark. Which makes it fun. - Cheswick - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:44 pm: Hannah Meisel without a doubt. She is kind and professional, knows when to hold ‘em and knows when to fold ‘em. She’s always about the facts and the information. As a reporter, she is totally trustworthy. - LBR - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:45 pm: Hannah does a great job of breaking stories, smart journalism and stating the facts. Illinois politics is tough to report on- very nuanced with a historical perspective. Hannah is reliable and gets it correct on the first try. That is rare. - Mac - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:45 pm: Hannah M. for sure. She works so hard and has useful information that I consistently go back to reference. - NIU Grad - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:47 pm: I agree with the nominations for Hannah Meisel, but I’d like to give an honorable mention nomination to Kelly Bauer. She has worked non-stop since the beginning of the pandemic to provide the public with the facts as they became available. March/April seems like so long ago, but her faster-than-lightning transcription of city and state press conferences was critical to our growing understanding of the virus. While this isn’t a “best journalist” category, her use of social media allowed critical information from public health leaders to be shared by city/state residents at a rapid pace. This was critical in confronting misinformation during those early months. - Rutro - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:49 pm: Hannah should win, honorable mention to CWB, misterjayem, spot news. - Soccermom - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:56 pm: Hannah Meisel has used her platform on social media to make sure we don’t forget about the human toll of COVID-19 in Illinois. Even when she lost her job, she kept on posting reliable, understandable, invaluable information. Her social media presence strikes the perfect balance between professional and personal. She is engaging, warm, and real. This woman has the truly righteous stuff. Well done. - Chugwater - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:56 pm: Nobody can compete with the tweet storming antics of the one and only Aaron DeGroot. - Steven Andersson - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 1:56 pm: I don’t post here, but for this I’m making an exception. John Amdor for the win. Not only is he the highlighter of history of the GA, but he also acts as our own group statistician about our actual time in the GA. All while keeping us amused with his dog Cricket! - twowaystreet - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:02 pm: Kelly Bauer with Block Club Chicago. For what was said before and she live tweets all the Governor and Mayor’s COVID briefings. Every. Day. Most of us have the luxury of turning away from of it when it all becomes overwhelming and she continues to report on it day in and day out through her social media. On top of that, the other stories she covers provide so much community value for Chicagaons. If only every other city and town in Illinois could be so lucky. - twowaystreet - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:03 pm: Chicagoans* - ILLannoyed - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:19 pm: Rep Tim Butler. Not only does he use his socials to effectively communicate with constituents, he showcases all the glorious history and culture of central Illinois. - Barton - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:32 pm: Hannah Meisel is a source of information Illinois desperately needs to practice better politics. That is not a new phenomenon. She has been doing that for years. What made this past year different was, well, it was 2020. More people engaged politics as their undeniable life and death consequences became harder and harder to dismiss. When they did, Hannah was there with information they could understand and use. Illinois needed an informed electorate and leadership. Not even her own job loss kept her away from delivering on those needs. That much deserves at least a Horseshoe. - best time of year - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:45 pm: Hannah Meisel for information — no one compares. Anne Caprara for pure hilarity and snark — no one compares. - Hyperbolic Chamber - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 2:55 pm: Does sticking your head out the door and screaming at the top of your lungs about Trump’s latest antics count as “social media”? I have a dozen or so die hard followers in my neighborhood. Assuming that it does not (and it would be very poor form to nominate oneself), I echo the support of so many readers for Hannah Meisel. Couldn’t have said it better than Willy. - pool boy - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 3:25 pm: Oswego Willy. Sometimes funny, sometimes snarky, sometimes provides information and sometimes is a little mean, all while using someone else’s blog. - ChicagoBars - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 3:31 pm: Thank you Arsenal, that was very kind. But it’s Hannah Meisel for the 2020 social media horseshoe win, and Kelly Bauer (master of the live tweeted press conferences) a close second. - SOIL M - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 3:43 pm: Best use of Social Media in Politics should go to House Speaker Michael J Madigan. More Politicians should follow his lead and use Social Media in the way he does. - Give Me A Break - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 4:33 pm: Hannah Meisel, she just knows how to get to the point and gets to the heart of the issue. No fluff or hyperbole just the facts. And she has great sense of humor. - Under the Dome - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 4:59 pm: Hannah Meisel gets my vote, for all of the reasons in previous nominations, but I’d also give a nod to the Senate Democrats. The depth of coverage of Senate proceedings that you get from their social media feeds, particularly their Twitter account, on a session day is exceptional. There’s a reason Brandy Renfro already has one Golden Horseshoe this year and the performance of her social media team certainly is part of the equation. - Tom B. - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 5:33 pm: Hannah. The charts. Caase closed. - Ike - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 7:02 pm: This isn’t even a question if you take your partisan hats off- Darren Bailey social media following has made him a front runner to be the GOP nominee for gov (unfortunately). Again strictly based on social media- Bailey hands down. - Bob R - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 7:25 pm: Hannah - btowntruth from forgottonia - Monday, Dec 21, 20 @ 7:38 pm: Hannah gets my vote. - Abdon - Tuesday, Dec 22, 20 @ 9:41 am: Soccermom and the others are right. Hannah Meisel’s twitter feed is a joy to read: @hannahmeisel In a FB post, the company that runs the BBQ truck that often parks itself outside the Capitol on spring session days is citing Illinois’ economic condition and the proliferation of wind turbines(?) as the reason it’s dissolving its business in the state and moving to Puerto Rico. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.