Using Atlas, we analyzed over 3.2 million posts from X/Twitter accounts of members of the US congress from the past decade. We were able to see clear communication patterns between legislators across the political aisle and identified key topics dominating discourse ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Atlas enables everyone - from policy researchers and political analysts to ordinary engaged citizens - to explore these communication patterns firsthand. Unlike traditional data analysis tools that demand technical expertise, Atlas leverages AI behind the scenes to transform complex datasets into intuitive, interactive data maps. This allows you to focus on what truly matters: uncovering meaningful insights about the issues that shape US political discourse.
Special thanks to Aleszu Bajak, director of data visualization at the Urban Institute, for helping us collect the pre-2022 X/Twitter data.
Ready to explore how Congress communicates? Let's look at the data!
👈 Scroll with your mouse over the left panel on the screen to learn more about these 3.2 million posts.
Posts about veterans' healthcare and benefits show bipartisan agreement, with both parties consistently supporting expanded services. For example, the 2022 vote on the PACT Act passed with broad bipartisan support.
Partisan differences emerge in posts with a filter for "Elon Musk": several Democrats frequently criticize him on matters of taxes, as seen in Rep. Brad Sherman's (D-CA) post: "Now we know why Elon Musk and other billionaires are supporting Trump: he's offering to completely exempt them from U.S. income tax."
The opioid crisis exemplifies this dynamic - both Democratic and Republican lawmakers consistently advocate for comprehensive government intervention in addressing substance use disorders, including expanded access to treatment, support for harm reduction programs, and increased funding for recovery services.
This shared recognition of addiction as a public health crisis rather than a partisan issue has enabled the passage of significant legislation like the SUPPORT Act and the State Opioid Response Grant program.
But the top of the map shows a stronger divide in recent messaging with two dominant partisan narratives: Democratic legislators have prioritized reproductive healthcare policy amid evolving state regulations, while Republican representatives have concentrated on border security and immigration reform.
Across millions of posts we can see both the stark partisan divides that characterize modern American politics and the occasional bridges of bipartisan agreement. Atlas lets you explore the larger patterns at play that shape public conversations.
This bird's-eye view of political communication helps us understand not just what politicians say, but how they say it. The clustering of language and topics shows us that partisan division isn't just about disagreeing on solutions – it often extends to using entirely different vocabularies to discuss the same issues.
Visualizing and exploring large-scale political discourse through tools like Atlas makes these communication patterns clearer and more accessible, helping us better understand the dynamics of political messaging at scale.
Found an interesting pattern in the data map? Atlas makes it easy to share your discoveries. When you find a compelling view of the data, simply click the share button to generate a link that captures your exact perspective – from the zoom level to the filters you've applied - and share the link to your map with friends, collaborators, or your followers. They'll be able to see the same view of the data you've just captured!