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Sanders Raises $1.3M During Debate

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders raked in some hard cash during the first Democratic primaries debate, which he won hands down in online surveys.

According to the Sanders campaign, more than $1.3 million was raised in the first four hours after the debate began. The online contributions included $100,000 in the five minutes after the debate ended.

During the 2-hour debate, hosted by CNN, Sanders stuck to his progressive and Democratic-socialist ideas. But probably the most memorable moment was recorded when he voluntarily came to Hillary Clinton’s defense on the private email server scandal.

“Let me say something that may not be great politics. But I think the secretary is right, and that is that the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails,” Sanders roared, setting off an outburst of applause. “Enough of the e-mails. Let’s talk about the real issues facing America.” The comments put up a big smile on Clinton’s face and earned him a warm handshake with the Democratic presidential frontrunner.

Sanders made great use of that moment, clipping the video and sharing it with supporters immediately. The video was attached to a fundraising plea, with a suggested contribution of $23.81.

In a post-debate Time magazine online snap poll, 68 percent said Sanders won. Clinton was in second place with 16 percent. A U.S. News & World Report poll had Sanders the clear victor with 84 percent of the vote. Seventy-four percent of Slate readers said Sanders won.

On social media, there were more Google searches for Sanders than for any other candidate, and he was the most retweeted candidate of the night, according to Twitter.

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