New Jersey’s Best Twitter Feeds

The Star-Ledger > Inside Jersey
October 17, 2011
By Megan DeMarco

Like the state itself, New Jersey’s Twitter universe is diverse. There are celebrities ranging from Zach Braff to Queen Latifah. Nearly every Garden State reality television star tweets, including the entire cast of “Jersey Shore.” Then there are the local and state politicians who are just beginning to jump onboard, adding an interesting dynamic to the Trenton crowd of journalists, lobbyists and bloggers who let their snarky 140-character comments fly every day. But who to follow? We’ve eliminated the static and narrowed the field to bring you a no-nonsense cross-section of the best Twitter feeds for Jersey politics, entertainment and sports. These are the Jersey tweeters who keep things interesting and active, who use Twitter to connect with their fans and constituents or to deliver news and views from both sides of the political aisle. So here are the best places to follow your Jersey interests.

POLITICS

Chris Christie: @govchristie
Most of the time, the staff of the tough-talking governor tweet about his town hall meetings, announce press conferences and links to news releases. But occasionally the governor takes the reins himself and tangles with constituents.
Follow because: As in person, Christie doesn’t hold back when it comes to telling someone via Twitter why he’s looking out for New Jersey, and why the unions, Democrats, (fill in the blank here) are wrong.

Cory Booker: @corybooker
New Jersey’s celebrity mayor, documentary star and potential Senate candidate doesn’t always keep it strictly on politics, but does provide information about Brick City. He also tweets and re-tweets about his “Let’s move! Newark” campaign to fight obesity (#letsmove). One caveat: Booker is super active on Twitter — maybe a little too active. If inspirational quotes annoy you, or you don’t want to know what kind of exercise half of New Jersey is doing this morning, stay away.
Follow because: Booker is a New Jersey elected official with a national profile and an obvious political future.

Sen. Barbara Buono: @senatorbuono
Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono, rumored to have her eye on the front office in 2013, tweets her stances on issues and links to her events, engaging frequently with followers.
Follow because: Since Senate President Stephen Sweeney has sworn off joining Twitter, Buono is probably the highest-ranking Democrat using social media to connect with constituents.

Congressman Rob Andrews: @RepAndrews
South Jersey Democrat Rep. Rob Andrews represents New Jersey’s 1st District in Congress. He tweets stories he finds interesting, his views on bills and the issue of the day in Washington, D.C., as well as his TV appearances.
Follow because: Andrews is rumored to be seeking the Democratic nod for governor in 2013. He’s a good person to keep tabs on for New Jersey political junkies, plus a helpful connection for political news outside of the Trenton bubble.

Blue Jersey: @bluejersey
New Jersey’s resident liberal blog promotes Democratic candidates, tweets links with posts from guest politicians, and sometimes live tweets Senate and Assembly sessions and votes.
Follow because: The staff at Blue Jersey lean pretty far to the left, so follow if you’re a member of a union, or Christie-bashing is one of your favorite pastimes.

Save Jersey: @savejersey
On the other end of the continuum is conservative blog Save Jersey, which tweets links to posts making fun of Sweeney and other Democrats and cheerleads the governor’s every move. Save Jersey is on top of Trenton activity, but also is tapped into local politics in other parts of the state.
Follow because: The witty commentary on Democratic senators is free-flowing.

Joshua Henne: @joshuahenne
As a Democratic political strategist and spokesman for progressive reform group “One Jersey,” Henne delivers snarky one-liners about New Jersey Republicans (read: Christie).
Follow because: Henne puts a new spin on tired rhetoric and knows how to use Twitter to advance his message.

Ginger Gibson: @gingergibsonsl
Star-Ledger reporter Ginger Gibson covers the governor, which means she’s at nearly every news conference, town hall meeting and out-of-state trip — iPhone in tow. Gibson is known in Trenton for her up-to-the minute live tweets of Christie events.
Follow because: You won’t miss a thing about Christie, and you’ll also get links to interesting content from the Ledger’s Statehouse bureau.

Matt Katz: @mattkatz00
Inquirer writer Matt Katz is South Jersey’s Christie expert, following the governor to press conferences, out-of-state appearances and town hall meetings. He blogs about covering Christie on Philly.com’s “Christie Chronicles.” Blog posts range from Christie’s biting responses to Katz inviting himself to dinner with Iowa donors, to more serious news and reports.
Follow because: In addition to being an award-winning reporter, Katz has a fun personality and doesn’t take himself too seriously. His blog is an easy read and he doesn’t hesitate to engage readers and poke fun at other reporters and politicians on Twitter.

Capitol Quickies: @capitolquickies
Capitol Quickies is the blog run by the Asbury Park Press statehouse bureau, and the Twitter feed is mostly used to tweet links to the blog.
Follow because: Capitol Quickies provides news, but is occasionally whimsical. Tweets are often light-hearted and poke fun at politicians.

Patrick Murray: @PollsterPatrick
The director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, Murray is a recent addition to Twitter. He tweets links to polls, but also throws in observations and analysis.
Follow because: Polls in Trenton are always interesting, especially with Christie’s approval rating changing all the time. Murray also has the institutional knowledge that lends itself to insightful tweeting.

For the full list, visit the original story here.