In a sweeping move, 58 out of 60 Democratic members of the California Assembly announced their departure from X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) led the initiative, citing rampant hate speech and unchecked misinformation as primary reasons for the withdrawal.
"Hate speech is everywhere on X, the company has no accountability, and the flood of misinformation from fake accounts is just that — fake," Rivas declared in his statement. He emphasized that taxpayer resources should not support the platform.
The mass departure represents one of the largest coordinated exits of elected officials from the platform. While lawmakers will maintain their existing accounts to prevent impersonation, they will cease sharing information or engaging with constituents through X.
Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry expressed concerns about public safety, noting the platform's inadequate content moderation could endanger communities during emergencies. Democratic lawmakers plan to continue their social media presence on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Republicans criticized the move, with Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher calling it a mistake. He argued that Democrats were abandoning an "important part of the public square" and suggested their complaints about misinformation often stemmed from disagreement with expressed opinions.
Several Democratic lawmakers had already left X individually before this coordinated action. Assemblymember Marc Berman departed over a year ago following Musk's decision to reinstate controversial figure Alex Jones. State Senator Scott Wiener cited "escalating negative changes" and increased extremist content as reasons for his exit last month.
"Democracy depends on impartial information, not the shifting whims of one billionaire," Rivas concluded, underlining the Democrats' stance on maintaining credible communication channels with their constituents.