Former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) was the surprise star of the second round of Democratic debates on Tuesday. He and author Marianne Williamson both largely dominated Google search traffic during the debate, according to Google Trends.
In a search for the most likely terms for five candidates — Delaney, Williamson, Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) — throughout the debate, Williamson and Delaney had standout moments, while Warren rose in search traffic shortly after the end.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
Williamson reached 100 on Google Trends at around 10:31 p.m., right at the end of the debate.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
Delaney stood out at 10:03 p.m.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
PJ Media found similar results when searching the candidates’ full names, instead of search terms.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
When PJ Media included former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., we found similar results, but Hickenlooper enjoyed a stand-out moment at the beginning of the debate.
Google Trends screenshot of 2020 Democratic candidates during the July 30 debate.
Delaney edged in by attacking Sanders and Warren on Medicare For All and other unrealistic promises they have supported. He gained a great deal of debate time relative to his low poll numbers. Even so, he is unlikely to pose a realistic threat for the nomination.
In the discussion after the debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper said the moderators tried to give the lower-polling more moderate candidates more air time as a stand-in for former Vice President Joe Biden.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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