Influence Alley

Chris Frates On Power, People And Influence From Capitol Hill To K Street

Senate GOP App Worth a Look

By Alex Roarty // January 9, 2013 | 2:28 p.m.
Updated: January 9, 2013 | 4:23 p.m.

New Senate Republican Conference app.

With the new congressional session comes new legislation, new senators, and – in the case of the Senate Republican Conference – a new mobile phone application.

The SRC this week is unveiling an app that it bills as a “one-stop shop” for all GOP news in the upper chamber. Its catalogue includes media interviews, weekly addresses, and press releases – all featuring Republicans senators, of course.

But it’s more than talking points. Included in its innards are a floor update and Senate Calendar, which helpfully list the upper chamber’s official business. To boot, the application actually seems to work, flowing smoothly and flipping among different features without a hitch. In other words, even on-the-go Democrats might find this thing somewhat useful.

The new tool is part of a continued push from the SRC, chaired by Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to digitize its communications. According to the SRC, the number of followers on its Twitter account has nearly doubled in the last year, 47,600 to 84,192. Its Facebook fans have also risen during the last year, from 5,219 to 6,492.