Numbers Don't Lie: Bernie Sanders Was the Most-Searched Candidate During First Democratic Debate of 2016

Even O'Malley got a quick flex in during Sunday's debate.

Image via Phil Roeder

The first Democratic debate of 2016 covered all the usual ground but with some decidedly unpredictable results, including the debut of some instant quotables from struggle candidate Martin O'Malley. Though the overwhelming majority of Sunday's festivities centered on the growing tension between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, even O'Malley managed to get in a quick flex against all possible odds.

Spot the difference: America before and after the #DemDebate https://t.co/uZAvnoWEQX pic.twitter.com/zHthjfEbAn

— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) January 18, 2016

Sanders remained the most-searched candidate throughout the entire South Carolina debate, the Daily Dot reports. In fact, Sanders was able to quickly steal previously charted Google impressions from Hillary Clinton once the debate kicked off. Sanders' Twitter popularity also spiked significantly, with both Sanders and O'Malley gaining more new followers on Sunday than Clinton:

Ranked follower growth Democratic candidates in #DemDebate:

1. @BernieSanders
2. @MartinOMalley
3. @HillaryClinton

— TwitterGov (@TwitterGov) January 18, 2016

Though Clinton still has a greater number of total followers than her fellow Democratic candidates, Sanders experienced a higher follower growth during the debate than any other candidate in any other party. For a closer look at what this level of social media dominance looks like, peep this:

How @BernieSanders led the #DemDebate all evening in searchhttps://t.co/uZAvnoWEQX pic.twitter.com/iZVGLWg1io

— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) January 18, 2016

Keep the struggle alive, O'Malley.

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