The third GOP primary debate, held last Wednesday night, marked a significant drop in viewership, drawing only 7.5 million viewers according to Nielsen ratings. This was a 21% decline from the second GOP debate in September and a more than 40% drop compared to the first debate held in late August.
The first debate, which aired on Fox News and Fox Business, attracted an audience of 12.8 million viewers. The second debate, hosted by Fox News, Fox Business, and Univision, managed to draw 9.5 million viewers.
However, the latest debate, moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, saw a further decline in interest, averaging around 6.9 million viewers on NBC alone. The decrease in viewership was notable, as it showed a diminishing influence of primary debates in shaping the presidential race in the digital era.
The third and most recent Republican presidential debate showcased five candidates: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
A recent Morning Consult poll revealed that only 40% of Republicans consider debates “very…
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