As the GOP’s seven leading presidential candidates hashed out their differences onstage in North Charleston, S.C., on Thursday evening, Bernie Sanders’s Twitter trigger finger got itchy. The senator from Vermont — now in a close race with rival Hillary Clinton as the Iowa caucuses approach — was perhaps disgusted by the very idea that any of the gentlemen onstage could actually beat him in a general election.
So he spoke out.
“The Republicans seem to think they could beat our campaign,” Sanders wrote. “They haven’t seen the polls.”
The Republicans seem to think they could beat our campaign. They haven’t seen the polls. #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/XitW9T28Vq
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 15, 2016
The tweet, which apparently cited Quinnipiac University polling from last month, showed Sanders trouncing much of the Republican field — and was ruled the “top retweeted #GOPDebate tweet” by Twitter, which issues data about the platform after each debate. Sanders also took spot No. 2 with this kumbaya message for Trump:
I have a message for Donald Trump: No, we’re not going to hate Latinos or Muslims. We are going to stand together. #GOPDebate
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) January 15, 2016
Clinton took No. 3, expressing a similar sentiment:
Here's the truth: You can't make America greater by insulting, shaming, and demonizing the people of America. #GOPdebate
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 15, 2016
And comedian Bill Maher came in fourth with this tweet that resurrected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s “bridgegate” scandal:
Christie: "If i'm president, Hillary won't get within ten miles of the white house"- great, more bridge closures
— Bill Maher (@billmaher) January 15, 2016
Before he took the debate stage, Trump, trumpeting his own statistics, came in at No. 5.
And Clinton took spot No. 6, urging unity.
This is Muslim Americans' country too. The next president should know that—and act like it. #GOPdebate
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 15, 2016
As he has in the past, Trump won more than his “share of the conversation” on Twitter, as the company put it. Here’s the breakdown:
Trump: 38 percent
Cruz: 22 percent
Bush: 11 percent
Rubio: 10 percent
Carson: 9 percent
Twitter also ranked “follower growth” among Republicans. Trump led the field, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) — who wasn’t even at the debate, and turned up his nose at the undercard — and Christie. Trump also led a list of Twitter “follower growth” among all candidates, followed by Sanders, Cruz, Rubio and Paul.
And Twitter also ranked the debate’s “top moments.” Here they are:
1. Christie to President Obama: “We will kick your rear end out of the White House.”
2. Trump discusses 9/11 and “New York values.”
3. Trump and Cruz go back-and-forth on the polls.