Think tank L2 says Sen. Orrin Hatch has 'gifted' digital IQ

WASHINGTON — When it comes to the use of social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs, Sen. Orrin Hatch ranks 16th out of 100 U.S. senators, according to a report by New York-based think tank L2.

The organization labeled the Utah Republican as "gifted," with a digital IQ of 125.

Hatch has more than 10,000 followers on Twitter and more than 3,500 fans of his Facebook page. He is among the 91 senators who use YouTube to post videos from Senate debates and hearings.

But Hatch's numbers are dwarfed by some Senate colleagues.

Seven senators are listed with "genius" digital IQs of 156 to 140.

And at the top of the list is Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. McCain is the Senate's Facebook star with 625,000 fans, the report states. Following McCain is Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., with nearly 233,000 fans.

When it comes to tweeting, McCain leads again with 1.7 million followers, more than 40 times the followers of Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, was listed with a "challenged" digital IQ of 82, landing him in 73rd place. Bennett's Senate campaign has more than 1,600 Facebook fans, and his personal Facebook page shows more than 4,000 friends.

But Bennett's Twitter account has been less than busy since the most recent tweet on May 22. Bennett has 441 followers.

Still, Bennett ranks higher than the "feeble" IQs of Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., at 56, and Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., with 52.

The Digital IQ report is available for download at www.l2thinktank.com/senatedigitaliq.

e-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com

twitter: dnewspolitics