The tit-for-tat feud between state Treasurer Jeff DeWit and Gov. Doug Ducey intensified on Thursday as the treasurer accused Ducey of pressuring him to leave a GOP event.

It all began in 2011, when then-House Speaker Kirk Adams used social media as a platform to fire back at the media, his critics and legislative observers about rumors that his impending congressional campaign was interfering with his duties as a legislative leader.

For the #governor and #Democrats in the Legislature, 2015 may be remembered as the year of the hashtag. Policymakers embraced social media this session as never before.

Ducey allies are taking to social media to hammer Jones for Facebook and Twitter posts she made prior to her gubernatorial campaign that don’t quite match up to the “unapologetic conservative” image she’s presented on the campaign trail.

Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal compared Common Core opponents to “barbarians at the gate” May 13 and vowed to fight them to preserve the educational standards, setting off a Twitter attack by conservative blogger and syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin.

For more than 100 years, our state has been an attractive place for entrepreneurs and investment. From miners to bankers, it seems our business climate has been as attractive as our actual climate. But few businesses have been around longer than newspapers. In fact, nearly half of the state’s 12 oldest businesses are local newspapers.

Rep. Bob Thorpe locked down his Twitter account, barred reporters from following it and erased several comments after Democrats and civil rights activists called several of his tweets racially insensitive.

Sen. Steve Pierce was under tremendous pressure from forces within and outside the state Capitol – including at least one official from the National Republican Congressional Committee –during the hours before sine die as lawmakers and others tried to influence his vote on a controversial election bill.

The comments by Maricopa County Republican Party chairman A.J. LaFaro equating Gov. Jan Brewer to Judas Iscariot for pushing Medicaid expansion have created a firestorm and led to calls for his resignation.

Whether you love them or hate them, today’s politicians want to be “liked” on Facebook and followed on Twitter. So do their critics. Social media is rapidly changing how people seek and hold public office.