What's going on: Tweets mentioning Harris' Twitter handle generated 23% more interactions — including likes, comments and retweets— than those about Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the next closest Democrat.
Despite being put on the defensive about South Bend's police shooting, Buttigieg generated the second-most interactions and had the most interactions per tweet about him.
- The other winner: Julián Castro generated the highest totals in relation to his place in the polls — 11th, per Real Clear Politics.
- The loser: Biden's 5th place in interactions was the worst compared to his polling position (1st).
Demographic breakdown, per Sprout Social:
Highest proportion of interactions by men:
- Andrew Yang — 71%
- Tulsi Gabbard — 62%
Highest proportion of interactions by women:
- Amy Klobuchar — 56%
- Julián Castro — 55%
Highest proportion among age 18-24:
- Andrew Yang — 43%
- John Hickenlooper — 40%
Highest proportion among age 55+:
- Tim Ryan — 39%
- Amy Klobuchar — 34%
What's next: We'll see how much movement in the polls comes out of this debate. It will be telling for how much we can rely on post-debate buzz to be a barometer for impact on public opinion.
The bottom line: "A candidate who’s getting buzz and getting engagement online is likely to see a bump in fundraising and a bump in polling," Russell says.
Note: These figures do not account for bot activity.
Go deeper: Which 2020 candidates are generating the most social media attention
