Five Democratic candidates squared off Tuesday evening in their party’s first presidential debate. Among the issues discussed were the economy and environment, as well as college affordability, foreign policy, guns, income inequality, and race.
According to virtually all media reports, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton easily dispatched her competition – former Governor Lincoln Chafee (D-R.I.), former Governor Martin O’Malley (D-Md.), U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I/D-Vt.), and former U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) – and delivered what many have described as a knock-out performance. However, that assessment by the media may be at odds with the rank-and-file members in the Democratic Party. In a Fox News focus group of 28 Democrats from the swing state of Florida, the overwhelming majority believed the debate winner was Senator Sanders. Although half of the group began the debate supporting Ms. Clinton, only a handful remained committed after its conclusion. Similar sentiments were shared by participants in CNN & Fusion focus groups.
Data from social media helped expose this difference as well. On various platforms, 43 percent of the chatter was about Mr. Sanders. On Twitter, he added 35,163 new followers during the debate, more than all of his challengers combined (23,219). He was also the most discussed candidate on Facebook. With the rank-and-file abuzz about a Sanders’ candidacy, it is easy to understand why he raised $1.3 million in the first four hours following the debate.
While all the candidates can breathe a sigh of relief that their first debate is over, they will only have one month to prepare for the next one. On to Iowa!
The upcoming debates include:
- October 28: Republican debate sponsored by CNBC (Colorado)
- November 10: Republican debate sponsored by Fox Business/Wall Street Journal (Wisconsin)
- November 14: Democratic debate sponsored by CBS/KCCI/Des Moines Register (Iowa)
For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at ashinoffd@agc.org or (202) 547-5013.