SALT LAKE CITY — Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard may have subtly won the first night of the Democratic debates, at least when it comes to online measurements.
Poll: Gabbard topped the conservative Drudge Report’s instant poll, putting her as the winner with 45 percent of the vote as of Thursday morning, The Hill reports.
- The poll, which is strictly based off online viewer votes, had Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at second place (11.2%) and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney at third (8.6%), according to The Hill.
Trends: Gabbard also had one of the best nights when it came to Google Trends data. Gabbard topped the entire nation as the most-searched candidate on Google Trends during Wednesday night’s event, according to Google.
See the map below.
Numbers: Gabbard still remains far behind in other polls. Currently, she sits with 0.8% of the vote in the RealClearPolitics index. She trails Joe Biden — who is believed to be a frontrunner — by 31 points.
Yes, but: High search numbers and online votes don’t mean much in the large scheme of things. “In many instances, people are seeing these candidates for the first time and are just curious about who they are on the most basic level. Once Google provides a one-sentence answer, that’s that,” according to Vox.
However: Gabbard’s Wikipedia page view numbers are increasing, too, which shows long-term efforts by people to find out more about her, according to Vox.
Overall: “None of this means that Gabbard is a serious contender,” according to Vox. “She clashed with fellow Democrats by being critical of President Obama’s foreign policy, saying that his administration ‘refuses to recognize’ that ‘radical Islam’ is responsible for terrorism. And ever since, she’s branded herself as being among the most hawkish Democrats when it comes to terrorism. She’s also been criticized for expressing support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.”