Imagine a place teeming with social media stars, sexual harassers and people more interested in grandstanding than doing their actual jobs.
Any guesses?
That’s right. I’m talking about the United States Congress. And really, American politics in general.
None of this is breaking news. But I've seen many headlines lately that have left me shaking my head. And I do wonder: Why can't we elect better people to represent us?
Start with South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace’s new podcast, “Get Maced.” Promoting it, Mace has posed in a bikini and shown off her tattoos.
In June, Mace lost her primary bid for South Carolina governor and isn’t seeking another term in Congress.
I have no problem with Mace getting tattoos or having a podcast once she leaves
office. But she is still a sitting member of Congress, still drawing a taxpayer salary. She’s supposed to be legislating. Instead, she's spending her final months in office on a personal rebrand.
Politicians care too much about racking up social media views
Mace is far from alone. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, launched his own podcast in 2025 – “This is Gavin Newsom” – a blatant bid to raise his national profile ahead of an all-but-certain 2028 presidential run.
Newsom at least keeps his clothes on. Yet if I lived in California, I would be perturbed that my governor was spending time promoting himself rather than tackling his state’s glaring problems, including a serious budget shortfall and policies that are driving people to flee elsewhere.
Newsom has also grown his social media audience over the past year by playing attack dog to President Donald Trump, mimicking Trump’s bombastic style and irreverent approach.
Plenty of members of Congress devote serious energy to building their online following. Politico recently dug into which lawmakers rack up the biggest numbers.
Not surprisingly, democratic socialist stars Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont lead the pack, each pulling tens of millions of followers across platforms – with Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, not far behind.
On the Republican side, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas claims 7 million followers on X alone and hosts his own podcast, "Verdict," while Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana is gaining steam with nearly 2 million followers on X and more than a million on Instagram.
Americans need to start demanding more from their elected reps
Former GOP Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who is dying of pancreatic cancer, put it bluntly in an interview earlier this year: "Most of the people in the legislature really just wish they were TikTok stars. And so what they're trying to do is find a platform to grandstand."
Sasse was one of the few in recent memory who exemplified the alternative.
Let’s end with another South Carolina Republican. Following her brother Lindsey Graham’s unexpected death in July, Darline Graham was appointedto finish out his Senate term. At the time, I thought it was a sweet tribute – the two siblings were very close.
The delusions of grandeur set in fast. The new Sen. Graham decided she’d run for the full six-year term. She could well get it, too. Graham placed ahead of U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman in the Aug. 11 primary, but they must now face off in the Aug. 25 runoff since neither got the needed majority.
In an Aug. 18 primary debate, Graham made headlines for her inability to answer a fairly basic national security question on Taiwan. Her answer: “I’m … not that informed on national security.”
Graham may not want to be a TikTok star. But showing up that unprepared is its own kind of unseriousness – especially given that foreign policy was her brother's signature expertise.
Here's the thing: American voters get to choose who represents them. It's time we started choosing more carefully.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Enough with the podcasts. We elected politicians, not influencers. | Opinion
