Twitter and YouTube . Other members of Congress have also jumped aboard the Online Express . These days , even John McCain is all-a-twitter over new social media . See the latest episode of `` Freshman Year '' Granted , my `` tweets '' will not replace town hall meetings or direct mail , but social media is an important outreach supplement . People like feeling connected to their elected officials . Residents of my district want their voices to be heard and want to be a part of the political process . It has been very important to me that my constituents do n't have to wade through layers of bureaucracy to reach me . My Facebook page , for example , hosts hundreds of interactions each week from `` supporters . '' I post frequently and engage in the comments . I never outsource this type of communication to staff . It 's done entirely by me . That kind of attention builds trust with people . They know what I really think , and they develop a connection with me -- even if we disagree . Twitter has become a particularly useful tool for me . I
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At the House Republican strategy session in January , I stood before the Republican Conference and said , `` I am your worst nightmare . '' It was a figure of speech , of course , but my point was that our campaign helped change the political equation for winning elections . No longer is it enough to have big-name identification and big money to win . We demonstrated that principles and policy matter , and if you combine that with hard work and dynamic new media , young upstarts can beat incumbents in a big way . -LRB- I beat a 12-year incumbent in my own party , winning by 20 points . -RRB- In order to survive in the current political climate , it 's paramount to be on the cutting edge of technical trends . As a young freshman , it is challenging to distinguish myself among 434 other members . If I want to be relevant and productive , I have to work hard to get my message across . Using social media is a great way to do just that . I stay in contact with people through Facebook ,