Sanders most searched, most tweeted about candidate during Democratic debate

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was the most searched and tweeted about candidate during the Democratic primary debate in Charleston, S.C., Tuesday night.

Data circulated by Google showed that the Vermont lawmaker was the most searched candidate on its platform during the two-hour debate, while Twitter said Sanders was the most tweeted about, followed by former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. 

Sanders also had the most speaking time during the debate, according to multiple tallies.

Sanders has enjoyed a surge in momentum since his resounding victory in Nevada’s caucuses last Saturday, cementing his status as the primary field’s front-runner. However, his new position brought a litany of attacks against him on stage as his rivals sought to boost their own standing.

“Putin thinks Trump should be president of the United States and that’s why Russia is helping you get elected so you’ll lose to him,” Bloomberg said, referring to reports that surfaced this week saying that Russia is planning to meddle in the 2020 race to boost Sanders.

“The way I see it, Bernie is winning right now because the Democratic Party is a progressive party and progressive ideas are popular ideas,” added Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “Bernie and I agree on a lot of things, but I think I’d be a better president than Bernie.” 

The melee also touched on Sanders’s record on gun control and whether voters would accept his progressivism in the attacks that descended on the Vermont senator.

Sanders is hoping to keep his post-Nevada momentum going heading into South Carolina, where polls show him narrowing Biden’s lead, and Super Tuesday, when 14 states and American Samoa will cast their votes, allocating about one-third of the total pledged delegates up for grabs.