Outsider presidential candidates soared on social media during the Republican debate on Wednesday, with the trio of candidates who have never been elected dominating online.
Real estate mogul Donald Trump and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina saw the most activity on Google, Twitter and Facebook. The third outsider, Dr. Ben Carson, was the third most popular candidate on Facebook, with former Gov. Jeb Bush breaking into the top three on Twitter and Google.
The data again signals how strongly non-politicians are resonating with the electorate in the Republican primary.
In the spin room after the debate, the Carson campaign said the candidate had earned 300,000 Facebook “likes” – and raised $1 million – on debate day.
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Fiorina created the most buzz-worthy moments, according to Facebook data, including her response to Trump’s comments on her appearance and her debate with Trump and Gov. Chris Christie over their individual business records.
The third most buzzed about Facebook moment was Trump’s zinger about Sen. Rand Paul’s appearance.
Jane Timm