19 People Who Forced Their Way Into The Political Conversation Through Twitter

Some are professional politicos, others hyperactive students or bored lawyers. But they all matter this cycle because of the place their rhetorical chops won them in the meritocracy of Twitter.

1. @zerlinamaxwell

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/ZerlinaMaxwell

Rutgers law student Zerlina Maxwell worked on the 2008 Obama campaign, and channeled her political interest into The Urban Politico and other blogs until Twitter made her a political voice and gave her regular slots on cable news and a series of other websites. . She's a devoted Obama backer who lists Michelle Obama among her greatest female heroines, and who tweets from the progressive side on feminism, race and what's happening on Capitol Hill.

2. @comfortablysmug

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/comfortablysmug

A New York City finance professional and Romney buff, @comfortablysmug has gained twitter fame for his stinging commentary on Obama, politics, and the international debt crisis. Follow for a daily dose of jabs and Democrats and reporters, and partisan laugh-ins over the hashtags like #obamaislikeabadboyfriend.

3. @NYCsouthpaw

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/NYCsouthpaw

Pseudonymous New York City lawyer and BuzzFeed contributor @NYCsouthpaw updates his left-leaning twitter with analytical and tongue-in-cheek analyses of politics, culture, and the law. For those who would like to see suggestions for #RepublicanMovies ("Saving Private Capital") and questionable grammatical errors from the Romney campaign, this is a feed you'll want to follow.

4. @ExJon

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/ExJon

John Gabriel is a conservative who is particularly acerbic on the topics of Occupy Wall Street and Obama’s presidency. In response to the recent healthcare ruling, @exjon noted that the American Revolution was fought against laws that "tell citizens what to do."

5. @emokidsloveme

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/emokidsloveme

Cynical and liberal, @emokidsloveme has over 150,000 tweets, and blogs at her own Wordpress site about race, gay marriage and faith. She is also a contributor to angryblackladychronicles.com.

6. @viewofadam

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/viewofadam

Associate producer at Northern Alabama and Southern Tennessee’s WAFF48 news, and former employee of NBC New York, Adam Henry Smith is an avid political tweeter and on aspiring news anchor. Follow @viewofadam for rapid, real-time updates on national politics and news, and a thorough round-up of political perspectives from both sides of the aisle.

7. @SteveKing_

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/SteveKing_

Baltimorian Steve King is a news analyst for truth-out.org. He drew some attention for editorializing about his disappointment in the shape of his party. "I have always admired the Republican primary process for the way its leaders and frontrunners, unlike the Democratic primary candidates, seem to draw energy, support and money by being less politically correct than the next guy," he said. "It's a damn-the-torpedoes attitude that has all but disappeared from our sanitized and boring political language." Now he tweets bits about politics and culture.

8. @collegepolitico

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/collegepolitico

Gutowski is the founder and executive editor of conservative college blog TheCollegePolitico.com. He is also the content editor of the Media Research Center's video site Mrctv.org who is “passionate about combating media bias and forwarding the conservative movement.” Gutowski is also a community contributor to BuzzFeed.

9. @pourmecoffee

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/pourmecoffee

Talking Points Memo contributor and "45-year-old guy who works in the recruiting business" @pourmecoffee is partisan democrat who publishes anonymous, quippy tweets on everything from local to international politics to Magic Mike.

10. @bradthor

Via Twitter: @bradthor

Brad Thor is a successful author of military-themed thrillers writer whose ebullient, conservative Twitter voice and vocal support for Rick Santorum helped him break into the political conversation with record speed. He has also hosted the Glenn Beck show, and has served in the Department of Homeland Security. His novel The Last Patriot was nominated best thriller of the year by the International Thriller Writers Association, and according to his biography, has been "banned in Saudi Arabia." Follow Thor's feed for actively conservative, anti-corruption and economically analytical tweets.

11. @TabithaHale

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/TabithaHale

Tabitha Hale is a North Carolina writer for RedState, and is New Media Director at the Franklin Center. She is an outspoken opponent of the Occupy Wall Street movement and Tea Party supporter, and although her tweets are conservative, she is explicit in not throwing her weight behind Romney: "Stop telling me that Romney is all we have. I know that. That doesn't mean I have to be excited. I don't believe he will fix the problem." She's also quick on the Instagram trigger.

12. @stefanjbecket

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/stefanjbecket

A blogger and writer for Correctnicity, Stefan Becket writes a fast-paced, left-leaning feed covering politics, foreign and domestic policy, and the news. He recently announced that Twitter got him a job at New York Magazine.

13. @shannityshair

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/shannityshair

Although the feed is named after the wild quaff atop Sean Hannity’s head, the anonymous tweeter behind this account claims to be “an ordinary, conservative, married, father and employee who has taken a fancy to Hannity’s hair.” He'll tweet 140-character open letters lambasting Obama and Axelrod, and arguing that Bush America is better than Obama America.

14. @therickwilson

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/therickwilson

Rick Wilson is a GOP strategist based in Florida, a rare working political professional on the list, who has amplified his political voice on the strength of a zany, acerbic near-nihilism that Politico's Alex Burns recently described as "qual-opportunity Col. Kurtz-ism." In his twitter feed you will find staunchly-conservative political analysis as well as sound mockery of the SCOTUS' judicial docket: "In Zoolander v Derelicte, the Court ruled contracts may not be entered into under the influence of crazy pills #otherSCOTUSpredictions"

15. @LOLGOP

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/LOLGOP

An anonymous, satirical account targeted at the Republican ideology-- sometimes light and sometimes biting. Follow the cheeky feed if you're a fan of it's bio: give a Republican a fish and he'll think he learned how to fish. Teach him to fish and he'll call you socialist.

16. @Lis_smith

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/Lis_Smith

Lis Smith is a spokeswoman for the Obama campaign, and alum of the Democratic Governor’s Association. According to a campaign spokesperson, her role for Obama's campaign is "responding to attacks from Republicans, making sure voters know the truth about our opponent's record." Her twitter is a feed of real-time, partisan tweets covering the current election. Expect Mitt hits and Obama love.

17. @timodc

Via Twitter: @https://twitter.com/!/timodc

Tim Miller, newly appointed Deputy Communications Director at the RNC and foil to the Obama campaign's Lis Smith, has served as National Press Secretary and lead spokesperson for Jon Huntsman's 2012 campaign. His feed will bring you news analysis, predictions of what Biden is going to say in his next speech ("Preview of Biden's Iowa speech starting now: 1. Some discredited attacks on Romney record. 2. gaffe 3. class warfare. 4. gaffe."), and tweets from behind the lines of the #fullrepeal movement against Obamacare.

18. @TheTonyLee

Via Twitter: @thetonylee

Tony Lee, the most rational and persistent of the Sarah Palin diehards, seems finally to have given up hope that she'll dive into the fray. A conservative with a wide range of interests, he contributes to Breitbart.com.

19. @TeresaKopec

Via Twitter: @teresakopec

The self-described "Last Liberal in South Carolina," Kopec is an unusually mellow voice among the Twitter screamers. She's in constant conversation with reporters and pundits on both sides, doing her best to correct conservatives and strengthen the spine of the left.