Tulsi Gabbard is getting a boost from conservatives online
Data: Storyful; Note: Mentions from Facebook do not include Oct. 12-14; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has received the biggest surge of all 2020 Democratic contenders in social media mentions by percentage increase between Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 according to social intelligence company Storyful.
Why it matters: It's another example of a 2020 Democrat experiencing a boost online thanks in part to fringe voices on the right. Earlier this year, Axios reported on ways far-right voices were helping to elevate Andrew Yang.
The increase can be attributed to Gabbard's accusations that the Democratic Party had rigged the elections, which gained a lot of attention on the far-right, and her threat to boycott the last debate.
By the numbers: Gabbard went from receiving 162,500 mentions across many social platforms measured by Storyful (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Gab, 4Chan) in the first week of October to over 338,000 between Oct. 8 and 15.
Comments by Gabbard condemning members of her own party have garnered her lots of attention from far-right figures, which explains some of the increased attention she is receiving on platforms like Reddit, 4chan and Gab.
For example, here's an example of a chain started about it on the pro-Trump Reddit Channel "r/DrainTheSwamp."
Between the lines: "We are seeing commentary pushing the idea of a Yang/Gabbard ticket, especially on 4chan," says Storyful senior journalist Catherine Sanz, who pulled the data.
Gabbard has gained traction among prominent Yang Gang fan pages, per Sanz.
Caroline Orr, a research analyst and reporter, noted via Twitter yesterday that Tulsi-related hashtags "are getting boosted by YangGang, which is made up of a lot of MAGA fans."
