Conservative accounts gain thousands of new followers just before Musk's Twitter takeover
Republicans Kari Lake and Lauren Boebert gained over 18,000 Twitter followers in the 24 hours following Elon Musk's takeover
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Conservative accounts gained thousands of additional followers on Twitter in the 24 hours before Elon Musk took over the company, according to a data research company.
Memetica, which was critical of the conservative lawmakers and commentators gaining followers, said much of the activity came from fresh accounts. Kari Lake, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Arizona, gained 18,000 followers on Friday alone, up 600% from her normal rate of new follows, according to the report cited by The New York Times.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., gained 18,679 followers over the same period, a 1,200% increase over her normal rate. Commentator Candace Owens also received 3,700 followers at 300% of her normal rate, NYT reported.
Memetica's analysis found roughly half of Boebert's new followers were from freshly made Twitter accounts, while 2,300 of Owens' followers were new.
FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk's photo is seen through a Twitter logo in this illustration taken October 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo / Reuters Photos)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump (L) embraces Arizona Republican nominee for governor Kari Lake, who he has endorsed, during a campaign rally attended by former U.S. President Donald Trump at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona. (Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
There is no evidence to indicate that the surge was due to Musk's takeover.
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Left-leaning commentators have spread fear that Twitter will become a right-leaning messaging tool under Musk's leadership. Critics were outraged when Musk announced the firings of several top executives at the company, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde.
Gadde led the company's push to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story first published in the New York Post prior to the 2020 election.
The Twitter logo is seen on a sign on the exterior of Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, on October 28, 2022. - After months of controversy, Elon Musk is now at the head of one of the most influential social networks on the planet, wh ((Photo by CONSTANZA HEVIA/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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Musk's stated goal in purchasing Twitter was to protect the freedom of speech, saying in a statement last week that a public square open to diverse opinions is necessary for democracy to thrive.