Bernie Wins More Followers During The GOP Debate

On Thursday, the top seven Republican presidential candidates duked it out on stage in North Charleston, South Carolina, in the sixth GOP debate of the 2016 election season. Despite the nation's focus being on the conservative party, Democrat Bernie Sanders gained more Twitter followers during the GOP debate than six out of the seven contenders. GOP front-runner Donald Trump was the only Republican to see his Twitter following advance more than the liberal Vermont senator's Thursday night.

Sanders' name came up in the debate when the moderators asked John Kasich: "What does it say about our country that a candidate who is a self-avowed socialist and who doesn't think a 90 percent tax rate is too high could be the Democratic nominee?" After saying that the GOP would win every state if Sanders was the Democratic nominee, Kasich went on to advocate for increasing Americans' wage and training college students for good-paying jobs that exist.

Even with very few mentions, Sanders got more attention than Kasich, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, and Jeb Bush. According to the Twitter Government & Elections team, Trump gained the most followers during the debate, followed by Sanders, Cruz, Rubio, and Paul (who also wasn't in attendance).

This seems to be a trend, as Sanders gained the most followers during the last GOP debate, overtaking Trump and every other Republican. In the same vein though, Trump attracted more Twitter fans than anyone else during the last Democratic debate. So, both party's debates are apparently driving voters to the opposing side's Twitter accounts, and Trump and Sanders continue to amass more new Twitter supporters than any other candidates on either side of the aisle.

The Republican debates are working in Sanders' favor, and drawing people to his social media accounts. Hillary Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic nomination, didn't make the most-followers-gained list at all, which speaks to the positive impact this could have for Sanders. With each debate, Sanders' name recognition increases and Americans become more curious about his campaign and his beliefs. Of course, following a presidential candidate on Twitter isn't equivalent to voting for them, but his ever-increasing Twitter following is proof that people are at least interested in what he has to say.