In the social media race, Rubio lags behind other candidates as Clinton leads the way
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}If the presidential race was decided by Facebook interactions alone than Hillary Clinton would be a runaway if the election was held today, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wouldn't even come in the top three.
Following Clinton's announcement on Sunday that she would seek the presidency, the news generated 10.1 million interactions — which include likes, comments, shares and posts - from 4.7 million people on the popular social media site, the Hill reported.
Clinton's whooping social media numbers dwarf those of her Republican challengers, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz pulling in 5.5 million interactions and his Kentucky counterpart Rand Paul garnering 1.9 million.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Social Media popularity
Twitter followers:
Hillary Clinton: 3.37 M
Marco Rubio: 721,000
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ted Cruz: 396,000
Rand Paul: 599,000
Facebook (page likes):
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hillary Clinton: 1,169,304
Marco Rubio: 761,413
Ted Cruz: 1,219,348
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rand Paul: 1,894,651
Rubio's announcement on Monday night only generated 1.3 million interactions from 695,000 people in the 24 hours after the news broke. While these numbers may pale in comparison to his fellow candidates, Rubio's name was trending on Google the following day and his stances on immigration and foreign policy kept his name circulating on social media before the announcement of his candidacy.
While social media will play a vital part of any presidential campaign this season, Rubio is betting heavily on sites like Facebook and Twitter to appeal to younger voters and use the grassroots organizing potential of social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}During his speech Monday night in Miami, Rubio said that the United States needed a new generation to lead the country, which some observers say is both a plug for his young age and a jab at older candidates such as Hillary Clinton and likely candidate Jeb Bush.
"While our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century," Rubio said.
He added: "Just yesterday, a leader from yesterday began a campaign for president by promising to take us back to yesterday…Yesterday is over and we are never going back."
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