Google interest in China surged nationwide after Pelosi's Taiwan visit
"China" became the third most-searched topic across the nation last week out of a list of issues likely to sway midterm voters, according to the newest data for Axios' Google Trends midterm tracker.
Why it matters: The attention and controversy over Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan extended outside the D.C. bubble, capturing national attention. China's ranking was the highest it's been since Axios began tracking the data in late May.
- China ranked 6th on the list the last week of July and 11th the last week of June.
By the numbers: Three out of the top five search topics remain economic-related — jobs, taxes and wages. Firearms has also hovered in and around the top five for weeks now.
- The top five districts searching for China were all in California — Pelosi's home state.
- Rep. Judy Chu's (D-Calif.) district had the most China searches relative to any other district. Chu, the first Chinese American woman elected to Congress, told CNN ahead of Pelosi's visit that she has "always supported Taiwan."
Between the lines: The dashboard also revealed a surge in attention related to Kansas voters' rejection of an anti-abortion constitutional amendment last week.
- In Kansas' 4th District, which includes the city of Wichita, abortion became the most-searched topic — outpacing jobs, which is highly unusual.
- All four Kansas districts recorded more Google search interest in abortion than any other district in the country, with Missouri's neighboring 5th District following closely behind.