What do Americans want to know about Chris Christie?
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie just became the 14th Republican to join the GOP presidential fray, and soon after his announcement, curious Americans started Googling the governor to find out more about him. What did they want to know?
Google Trends released data saying that out of the top 10 most-asked questions within one hour of Christie's announcement, the number one question asked on Google was, "How old is Chris Christie?" Next up was "Is Chris Christie Republican?
Other trending questions about Christie probed his current weight, as well as how much weight he has lost. "Who is Chris Christie?" was sixth.
Northeastern states showed the keenest interest in the New Jersey governor, with New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut leading the way. In terms of cities, the top five were all in New Jersey, with the most searches sourced to Livingston, where Christie announced.
Looking at the candidates as a whole, the most searched 2016 presidential candidates after Christie's announcement were Christie himself, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, who only dominated the search in Vermont.
The numbers, of course, provide only one data point - and it's one which doesn't indicate whether the Google searches were positive or negative. There is also no concrete evidence that internet stardom will translate into votes.