What started as a supportive gesture for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi got a little out of hand Thursday.
Virginia Rep. Don Beyer started a #StandWithNancy hashtag trend on Twitter Wednesday afternoon to combat anti-Pelosi sentiment following four consecutive Democratic losses in recent special elections. Pelosi had suffered particular criticism for Jon Ossoff’s four-point loss in Georgia on Tuesday, since supporters of Karen Handel had repeatedly portrayed Ossoff as a Pelosi crony to bolster Republican turnout. (And it seemed to work.)
The Twitter account for Pelosi’s political team soon took up the trend, along with Hawaii Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and more.
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman noted Thursday afternoon that Pelosi aides had begun sending pre-scripted tweets — some of which even exceeded 140 characters — to Democratic “allies.”
Supporters hopped on the trend:
But the plan seemed to backfire when conservative tweeters caught wind of what was happening. Fox News Contributor Ryan Fournier began encouraging Republicans to take up the hashtag — and subvert it.
Soon groups from the likes of the National Republican Congressional Committee and Republican National Committee joined in the fun.
Political activists started using the trend as a punchline.