Washington, D.C.– Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference and Co-Chair of the House Republican New Media Caucus, announced the kickoff of the 2012 New Media Challenge today.

The New Media Challenge is designed to help Republican Members improve their online reach to constituents, while also spotlighting creative ways to stay more connected with their work in Congress.

Initiated for the first time in 2010, and now in its third year running, the competition pits Republican Members head-to-head on social media, and is styled after NCAA’s March Madness basketball brackets. As of today, 95 Members have signed up to participate.

Announcing the kickoff, Vice Chair McMorris Rodgers commented:

“The New Media Challenge continues to push the House GOP to be more innovative in its online communications. Since undertaking the charge to get our Conference up-to-speed online in 2009, we’ve made great progress. But now is not the time to let up. A spirited competition goes a long way to breeding new creativity, and building on best practices.”

In January 2009, only 30 percent of House Republicans were on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Today, more than 85 percent of House Republicans are using these platforms.

As Vice Chair, McMorris Rodgers spearheads a number of digital initiatives that set the course for House Republicans online. These include a robust blogger outreach program; email alerts highlighting emerging online trends & best practices; and a new media operations center that offers training & guidance to Members and staff based out of her Capitol office, called GOP Labs.

The official rules can be found here for background purposes; brackets will be posted to Twitter after a qualification round concludes on Friday. Follow @CathyMcMorris for updates.

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