• Politico, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 11:59 AM

Ahead of what will surely be a heated election year, Twitter appears to be embracing political advertising. To lead the effort, Twitter has poached a top political marketing executive from Google, reports Politico, adding that it makes sense for Twitter to capitalize on its status as a hub of the national political conversation.

"We've had five years to watch and observe how people are using the platform organically and we know politicians are active on the platform, and we know that consumers enjoy the messages from those politicians," Twitter's president of global revenue, Adam Bain, tells Politico. "We're excited about the election cycle, and we think that ads both in the timeline and in search are a huge opportunity."

Twitter only began exploring the ad business last year, and has since been ramping up its commercial advertising business. Per its latest efforts, at stake is a share of the lucrative 2012 campaigns, including a presidential campaign expected to cost well over $1 billion, Politico reminds us. Initial clients include five presidential campaigns, which, sources tell Politico, includes Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

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