How did the Twittersphere respond to the GOP debates last night? According to Spredfast's Intelligence software, there were 1,040,512 tweets related to the debates last night, with an average of 8,670 tweets per minute.
The debate last night got about half the number of tweets as the first GOP debate in August, 1.04 million vs. 2.06 million. The debate last night got less than half the number of tweets as the Democratic Debate got on October 13th, which received 2.27 million tweets.
"Reactions on social for the candidates were mixed, but one thing the majority of people agreed on via Twitter was how much they disliked this debate," according to a release from Spredfast. "Viewers took to social to voice their displeasure with the questions the commentators focused on and the lack of organization throughout the entire evening."
i changed my mind, this debate was the worst https://t.co/6Di6HMHEnt
- Renan Borelli (@renano) October 29, 2015
Trump going after CNBC at this point. pic.twitter.com/fF2EaHPIHS
- Jason Abbruzzese (@JasonAbbruzzese) October 29, 2015
The biggest spikes in social conversation throughout the entire night were challenges from candidates about the topics the moderators focused on, causing a major spike in the use of the term "Mainstream media" during the debates.
The moment that got the most tweets was when Ted Cruz challenged the questions the moderators had been asking and compared the debate to a cage match.
I hate Ted Cruz with the power of a million chainsaws revving but I agree with everything he just said. #GOPDebate
- Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 29, 2015
Chris Christie said, "I can't believe we're talking Fantasy Football when there are real issues to discuss - let them play!" During the debate, the term "Fantasy Football" had 70% greater share of voice than "Education." "Fantasy Football" made up 1% of all conversation for the evening on Twitter.
man u know ur having a bad night when chris christie calls u rude
- andy levy (@andylevy) October 29, 2015
Ted Cruz got his second largest Twitter spike of the night when he started things off by letting voters know he wasn't the guy you'd grab a beer with, but he was the one to drive you home.
Honestly, if Ted Cruz were my Uber driver, I would walk. #GOPDebate
- Esquire Magazine (@esquire) October 29, 2015
Ben Carson's biggest moment came when he was questioned about his involvement with controversial company, Mannetech. Following his response, viewers took to social to question his vetting process.
YO BEN CARSON JUST DROPPED A SHAWTY LO LINE IN THE DEBATE AND THE CROWD LOST IT
- The Kid Mero (@THEKIDMERO) October 29, 2015
Although Jeb Bush's night was relatively quiet, his promise to give any Democrat who would cut $10 from the budget a big warm kiss puzzled many on social.
when jeb bush says he wants to give u a warm kiss #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/RlfCuZw5Nr
- lauren ashley bishop (@sbellelauren) October 29, 2015
When Marco Rubio's voting record was challenged by the Sun Sentinel and Jeb Bush, Rubio came out swinging and social applauded him.
Marco Rubio just killed Jeb! R.I.P Jeb Bush. #GOPDebate
- Markeece Young (@YoungBLKRepub) October 29, 2015
Mike Huckabee's biggest spike of the evening also created some social data waves for Trump. Huckabee shared he was wearing a Trump branded tie.
Huckabee: "I love Donald Trump, he's a good man. I'm wearing a Donald Trump tie tonight." #gopdebate
- The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) October 29, 2015
Most tweets were coming from Washington, D.C., and New York City. Here's a breakdown of cities where tweets were coming from:
Here's a breakdown of which candidates were tweeted about the most:
Candidate Breakdown: (8 PM ET - 10:10 PM ET)
Ted Cruz: 78,079
Ben Carson: 54,049
Donald Trump: 45,080
Jeb Bush: 32,969
Marco Rubio: 30,766
Rand Paul: 24,590
Chris Christie: 21,603
Carly Fiorina: 19,884
John Kasich: 12,175
Mike Huckabee: 11,652