How Biden’s Big Move Impacted Hillary Clinton’s Campaign
Hillary Clinton appeared to capture a social media windfall on Wednesday when Joe Biden opted out of the 2016 presidential race, with Twitter hashtags associated with her campaign quickly lighting up the top trending lists.
Ending months of suspense and removing a huge political obstacle for Democratic nomination front-runner Clinton, Biden on Wednesday said the window for mounting a successful campaign had closed.
On Twitter, hashtags such as #ImWithHer and #Hillary2016 quickly become top trending topics. Hashtags associated rival Democratic contender, Bernie Sanders, such as #FeeltheBern and #Bernie2016, were also trending but visibly less than Clinton’s.
Hillary Clinton was also one of the top 7 most searched queries on Google under the search term “Joe Biden” on Wednesday afternoon, and the only non-Biden related query, according to Google trends.
Both Clinton and Sanders offered social media kudos to their almost-rival.
About an hour after Biden’s announcement, Clinton took to her official Twitter handle – @HillaryClinton – and tweeted: “@VP is a good friend and a great man. Today and always, inspired by his optimism and commitment to change the world for the better. -H.”
Sanders, on @BernieSanders, also tweeted: “I thank @VP for his continued service to the nation and his support of the middle class.”
Republicans also weighed in. On his official Twitter account @realDonaldTrump, GOP front runner Donald Trump posted: “I think Joe Biden made correct decision for him & his family. Personally, I would rather run against Hillary because her record is so bad.”
Rumors and reports about a potential run by Biden intensified this week with hashtags #BidenWatch and #Biden2016 going viral on popular social media platforms.
Biden, 72, had been wrestling with doubts about whether he and his family were ready for a grueling campaign while still mourning his son Beau, who died of brain cancer in May. His son had urged him to run. {eoa}
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