Last night, the Republican Party engaged in their first pre-presidential debate at Reagan Library to battle it out over job creation, climate change, and U.S. fiscal policy. Insights analyzed search volume for the potential candidates before and after the debate to determine which candidates were successful at generating the most interest.
Governor Rick Perry put some distance between himself and the other candidates, increasing his search volume share by 3%. He now sees 41% of searches among his fellow campaigners.
Members of Congress, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul are still neck and neck in searches, though both lost some ground post-debate. Bachmann’s share dropped 2%, while Paul faced a 4% loss.
Former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, had the biggest spike in searches. His share doubled post-debate, putting him at 11%.
Governor Jon Huntsman wasn’t successful at generating search interest following the debate. He lost three quarters of his share, falling behind Herman Cain in our study.
Although this study isn’t indicative of actual success in the debate, search volume is a good way to gauge public interest of these candidates, and the debate itself. Stay tuned for future updates of this study, as the campaign will heat up over the course of this year.
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