Washington, D.C.– Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, announced the winners of the 2011 House GOP New Media Challenge at a Conference meeting today.  Rep. John Fleming (LA-04), the reigning Champion, took first place in the seven-week competition, which generated 300,000 new Facebook likes, Twitter followers, and YouTube views.

“I applaud John Fleming, Joe Walsh, and Mike Conaway for their outstanding performance in this year’s Challenge,” said Vice Chair McMorris Rodgers. “The outstanding work of our entire Conference gives me great hope that House Republicans are keeping the pedal to the metal in the digital space.”

Rep. Fleming (LA-04), the two-time Champion offered this advice to his colleagues: “It’s as simple as listening and engaging with your constituents. A little friendly competition goes a long way to driving innovation, especially as we seek to communicate our positive vision.”

Rep. Joe Walsh (IL-08), a freshmen lawmaker, took second place.  He said, “The best government is one that is closest to the people. New Media is an important tool to stay in touch with the concerns and sentiments of the people I represent, and I’ll continue to find new ways of doing so.”

Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11) rounded out the Challenge by winning the bronze bracket.  He commented, “New and social media offer a way to connect with constituents around the clock. It’s incredibly useful to be able to communicate directly and in real-time with my constituency.”

“With more than 80% of our Conference, and 90% of the freshmen class on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, this annual Challenge helps us better equip Members with innovative ways to use these tools,” said Vice Chair McMorris Rodgers.

Altogether, 106 Members and Committees participated in the Challenge. The breakdown of participants was 54 freshman lawmakers, 44 continuing Members, and 8 committees. 

To see the final brackets click here. For background purposes, the official rules can be viewed here. A staff debrief will be held in the coming weeks in the “GOP Labs” series to share best practices and innovative tactics.