
Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder joins Twitter world as OneToughNerd
Rick Snyder's campaign announced on Facebook and Twitter today that the Michigan governor hopeful from Ann Arbor has created a personal Twitter account with the username OneToughNerd.
Rick Snyder
As he travels across the state on his Reinvent Michigan Tour, Snyder plans to tweet his thoughts and updates from the trail to followers. The campaign is encouraging voters to follow along at www.twitter.com/onetoughnerd.
"Our campaign's online community is becoming more engaged and growing at a tremendous pace," Snyder said in a written statement. "With so much enthusiasm and momentum on social media, I'm excited to join Twitter and add my voice to the chorus of Michiganders who are working hard to spread the reinvent Michigan message online."
In addition to Snyder's account, the campaign has had and will continue to update the official campaign RickForMI Twitter account, where followers are able to receive campaign updates on event details, announcements, and other related information.
The campaign's use of social media has gained attention as Snyder currently leads all candidates for governor with the most followers on Facebook with more than 21,000. The campaign also has a YouTube channel with more than 67,000 views. Those numbers aren't necessarily a measure of support for Snyder's campaign, but they are indicative of the number of people at least curious to find out what he's saying.
Snyder was born and raised in Battle Creek. He studied at the University of Michigan, earning a bachelor's degree in 1977, an MBA in 1979, and a law degree in 1982.
Snyder, former president of Gateway Computers, also served as founding chairman of Ann Arbor SPARK, the economic development organization for the Ann Arbor region. He is currently active on the board of directors or advisory boards of several privately held companies and community and educational organizations, including the Henry Ford, the Bank of Ann Arbor, and the University of Michigan.
He has a campaign website at www.rickformichigan.com.
Click here for a list of candidates running for office in Washtenaw County.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
samshoe
Thu, May 20, 2010 : 2:41 p.m.
This is not news.
rusty shackelford
Wed, May 19, 2010 : 10:34 a.m.
Chris Gerben: "nerds" also know that it's terrible policy to raise income taxes on workers to increase subsidies for corporations. To put in in lingo Snyder can understand: #epiccandidatefail.
Chris Gerben
Wed, May 19, 2010 : 10:25 a.m.
For a self-proclaimed "nerd" I find it a little more than amusing that he's just joining Twitter in 2010. Likewise, for a "nerd" I also am dumbfounded why he is so militantly opposed to public education and honoring the incredibly difficult and under-rewarded work that our public school teachers engage in. Regardless of party lines, this guy is the WRONG choice for anyone who values education in the state of Michigan.
rusty shackelford
Wed, May 19, 2010 : 7:28 a.m.
Didn't Snyder refuse to join a debate recently because he claimed to oppose "sound bite" format? Now he's making hay out of a new Twitter account? What a hypocrite. And annarbor.com is swallowing it whole. You usually do much better work, Ryan Stanton.
John Westra
Tue, May 18, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.
Congratulations to Rick on his aggressive use of Social Media to engage the public. Effective communication with Citizens and Stakeholders should be a priority for State as well as Local and Federal government. I am hopeful that if Rick wins the Governor's Race, he will continue to make Open, Transparent, Gov 2.0 a priority! http://twitter.com/John_Westra
rusty shackelford
Tue, May 18, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.
Why does annarbor.com cover Snyder's every move anyway? Does he own the e-paper? He's got a new twitter account awesome. What's next? "BREAKING NEWS: Rick Snyder takes a dump"
rusty shackelford
Tue, May 18, 2010 : 2:12 p.m.
Snyder's main proposal is to raise taxes on all taxpayers. He tries to sneak it by us by calling it a "6% flat tax." He doesn't mention that MI already has a 4.35% flat tax. I suggest everyone who does not want their income taxes raised vote for someone else.
uawisok
Tue, May 18, 2010 : 1:43 p.m.
Haven't voted for a republican since Jerry Ford but so far this guy stands above the crowd of status quo party liners...stay tuned