Candidates and fake Twitter accounts

This is the modern election season, when you know things are rolling because fake politician Twitter accounts start going up.

This came to the front of our minds when @RepNekritz started following us on Twitter during the Democratic National Convention. The account is not run by state Rep. Elaine Nekritz of Northbrook or her campaign. And her Illinois House opponent, Republican Jonathan Greenberg, also has no idea what's behind it.

It's pretty tame. Here's the opening tweet:

Woot! Good to be on #twitter. Now, how am I going to fix this pension mess...#firstworldproblems

Hardy har.

Far less tame is one that's been around a little while longer to criticize Republican state Rep. Sandy Cole of Grayslake, occasionally in terms that some people might find offensive.

The campaign of her Illinois House opponent, Democrat Sam Yingling, says it's not theirs.

"No one that we know is behind it," said Yingling aide Lowell Jaffe. Plus, Jaffe says, some characterizations of Yingling on the account are false, too.

Veteran Illinois politics watchers are already familiar with parody accounts like @SpeakerMadigan, a satire found funny by readers of both parties. But that account is intended to be funny to insiders, not as a regular attack on a particular politician.

We were fans of @NinianEdwards, an account purported to be written by Illinois' second governor. But old Ninian isn't tweeting much anymore.

"This is definitely the silly season," Jaffe said.