Sen. Bernie Sanders officially joined the 2016 race as Hillary Clinton’s first Democratic challenger on Thursday. While widely considered a long shot, his top strategist says the campaign is already off to a “remarkable start.”
Just how much does the general public know about him and what do their questions reveal about what they most want to know?
A review of Google search data from the twenty-four hours after his official announcement Thursday unveils what was most asked about 2016’s newest candidate.
1. How old is Bernie Sanders?
Bernie Sanders is 73-years-old and was born on September 8, 1941. He is the oldest of the currently declared 2016 candidates.
The age question is not unique to Sanders. “How old is …” was also the number one query on Google about both Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio. The same question ranked in the second and third slot for Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
2. Is Bernie Sanders Jewish?
Sanders is the son of a Polish-Jewish immigrant and while he was raised Jewish, he is not active in organized religion.
Of the currently declared 2016 contenders, Sanders is the only one whose religion came up in the top five searched questions.
3. Is Bernie Sanders a socialist?
He is a self-described “Democratic Socialist.” (One of President Obama’s top laugh lines at this year’s White House Correspondents’ dinner poked fun at this, “Apparently people really want to see a pot-smoking socialist in the White House. We could get a third Obama term after all.”)
4. Is Bernie Sanders a Democrat?
Bernie Sanders is the longest-serving Independentin Congressional history, but is running on the Democratic ticket. His reason, “I’m not a billionaire. To run outside of the two-party system would require enormous sums of money and a great expenditure of energy and time just to get on the ballot.”
5. How much is Bernie Sanders’ net worth?
Bernie Sanders’ net worth is approximately $460,000.
His campaign site boasts it is not paid for by billionaires. Sanders out-raised his Republican opponentson his first day on the trail.
So how does this compare to the rest of the 2016 pack? The number one question searched on Rand Paul? His height — 5’8″. For Ted Cruz the top slot was asking where he was born — Calgary, Canada.
Check out the full list of queries:
1. How old is Hillary Clinton?
2. Is Hillary Clinton a Democrat?
3. Is Hillary Clinton running for president in 2016?
4. When did Hillary Clinton announce she was running for President?
5. Who is running for President in 2016?
Related: Answers to the most Googled questions about Hillary Clinton
1. How old is Marco Rubio?
2. What nationality is Marco Rubio? 3. Is Marco Rubio running for President in 2016? 4. Is Marco Rubio Cuban? 5. Is Marco Rubio a Democrat? Related: Answers to the most Googled questions about Marco Rubio Ted Cruz 1. Where was Ted Cruz born? 2. Is Ted Cruz eligible to be a US President? 3. How old is Ted Cruz? 4. What does Ted Cruz stand for? 5. How long has Ted Cruz served in the US Senate? Rand Paul 1. How tall is Rand Paul? 2. How old is Rand Paul? 3. What does Rand Paul stand for? 4. Who is Rand Paul’s father? 5. What kind of doctor is Rand Paul?
Farra Kober Recommended
