Republicans, relax: Meghan McCain sticking with Twitter

The suspense is over. Meghan McCain is not quitting Twitter.

The daughter of former GOP presidential nominee John McCain caused a stir earlier this week when she posted a Twitpic of herself in a low-cut tank top. Some folks reacted negatively. Ms. McCain apologized, and, claiming hurt feelings, threatened to close her Twitter account. “What once was fun, now just seems like a vessel for harassment,” she tweeted.

Well, Meghan isn’t quitting Twitter after all, she announced in her column Friday on DailyBeast.com. So Republicans can rest easy. As noted in yesterday’s Vote Blog, the almost-25-year-old McCain represents a demographic Republicans are trying to reach – young voters – and her female irreverence adds something to a party whose image is dominated by stodgy old men.

One of her tweets on the matter does raise a new question, though. “OK, at least I didn’t dupe the media into thinking I flew away in a homemade balloon,” she said, referring to the flap in Colorado about the 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a runaway hot air balloon, but actually wasn’t, and now, oops, the whole thing may have been a hoax.

Maybe McCain posted that pic to generate a little media attention of her own? Just asking.

What is true is that Republicans appear to have an opening to attract young voters, at least in the Virginia governor’s race. Young voters turned out in droves for Barack Obama in Virginia last year. But this year, with Democrat Creigh Deeds on the ballot, not so much. Only 8 percent of likely voters are young, per the latest Washington Post poll. Last year, young voters represented 21 percent of the electorate.

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