The origin story of @BasedMikeLee

Utah Sen. Mike Lee walked off the convention stage in Florida after his speech condemning “wokeism” and the COVID-19 lockdowns. Lee, the constitutional lawyer who had just published a book defending the institution of the U.S. Supreme Court, was about to undergo a rebrand.

It was July 2022, and Lee found himself in the middle of a general election showdown with independent candidate Evan McMullin. Lee’s track record as one of the most conservative senators in America was being put to the test, and he wanted a better way to connect with his Beehive State constituents.

Also at the Turning Point Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, were some of social media’s biggest influencers on the right — and they wanted Lee to take a page from their book. Turning Point Action COO Tyler Bowyer, political commentator Benny Johnson and online personality ALX huddled with Lee and got right to work.

The group suggested that Lee should shed the “layers” preventing him from “engaging the public more directly,” Bowyer told the Deseret News. Lee already had more than one official account with a significant following on what was then known as Twitter. But the senator’s new advisers thought he should offer voters a more candid opinion.

“They said, ‘Nah, we want something different, something that’s not part of your campaign, and not part of your Senate office, something that gives us a more unfiltered view,” Lee said in an interview with the Deseret News. “That’s where the idea was planted.”

According to Bowyer, he, Johnson and ALX told Lee to open his phone on the spot to create a new account. But what to call it?

At the time, the term “based” had become pervasive in conservative media as a way to describe provocative views that were expressed unapologetically despite the blowback they might receive.

And so “@BasedMikeLee” was born.

What does Lee post on X?

Over the subsequent three years Lee’s personal account has gained more than 610,000 followers through his prolific commenting — totaling dozens of posts per day, sometimes per hour — on everything from White House headlines, congressional controversies and defense of his Latter-day Saint faith.

His growing online presence has earned the senator new allies and critics.

As Elon Musk — the owner of X, and the author of its most-followed account — increased his output on the platform, he and Lee began a reciprocal relationship, frequently sharing each others’ content. Lee’s constant engagement with the grassroots also made him one of the favorite senators of MAGA megastars Tucker Carlson and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

From the beginning, the senator took advice from the online influencers, according to Bowyer. Lee learned the craft of constructing viral posts and gaming the algorithm with punchy and polarizing commentary, just as often in response to breaking news as in support of the latest meme or trend trolling “the libs.”

“We started just giving him ideas,” Bowyer said. “And to his credit, he went after it. And he’s like, ‘I need to do this every day?’ We’re like, ‘Yes, you need to do this every day. Anything that’s coming to mind, you just need to put it out there so people can see.’”

Bowyer has called Lee’s X persona “a huge success.” The group present that day in 2022 still text Lee “cheering him on, or helping him” with posts, Bowyer said. But the senator’s investment in internet outreach has also received rebukes from those who say the change in tone is unbefitting a U.S. senator.

Lee in the hot seat

In June, Lee took down two social media posts following a firestorm of pushback. After two state lawmakers were assassinated in Minnesota, Lee posted that their murder was “what happens when Marxists don’t get their way,” and called the tragedy “Nightmare on Waltz Street,” in an apparent reference to Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

Lee was subsequently confronted in the halls of the Capitol by both of Minnesota’s senators, who called the posts “brutal and cruel” and “not at all funny,” before Lee removed the messages without providing a statement or apology. Beyond the content of Lee’s posts, others have criticized the senator for spending so much time on social media.

While direct contact with constituents is a good thing, spending too much time on social media can take away from legislative activities, like developing new bills and dealmaking with fellow lawmakers, according to James Curry, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame and co-author of “The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era.”

“(T)he more time Sen. Lee spends on his social media posts, the less time he has for other important parts of the job,” Curry told the Deseret News.

The other trade-off lawmakers face on social media is that posting a constant stream of policy views and reactions can make collaboration back in Washington, D.C., more difficult, Curry said, because “(l)awmakers who ‘go public’ with hard line stances have a harder time backing off of them, and engaging in meaningful negotiations and compromise.”

When asked whether the senator should be using his time more wisely, Kirk told the Deseret News that senators typically have an extremely light work schedule, and laughed at the idea that Lee could be disregarding his duties as a senator. Kirk said Lee had simply adapted to the way people are communicating now.

“What could be more important than communicating with your voters, right?” Kirk said. “And like explaining stuff, and here’s my position, and I’m open, I’m reading comments, and I’m accessible.”

Bowyer, who runs Kirk’s campaign operations across the country with a focus on Arizona, said other politicians should follow his example. Not only has it “done wonders for (Lee’s) relationship” with power players like Musk, Kirk and others, Bowyer said. It has also given voters the sense that they can interact with the senator one-on-one.

“Everyone should be like Mike Lee and go do that,” Bowyer said. “Every single elected official, every congressman, should be that direct.”

Correction: An earlier version of the story misidentified where James Curry is a professor. He is now at the University of Notre Dame.