Viewership for Wednesday night’s third GOP presidential primary debate was down more than 40% compared to the first debate held in late August.
An average of 7.51 million people tuned in to watch five Republican presidential candidates spar, according to NBC News, which teamed up to co-host the extravaganza with the Republican National Committee, Salem Radio Network, the Republican Jewish Coalition and Rumble.
The inaugural debate of the cycle, held Aug. 23 in Milwaukee and hosted by Fox News Channel, drew 12.8 million viewers — making it the most-watched non-sports cable telecast of the year to date and outdrawing ABC, CBS, and NBC combined.
The second debate, held Sept. 27 in Simi Valley, Calif. and hosted by the Fox Business Network, attracted 9.5 million viewers — meaning Wednesday night’s debate saw a 21% drop in viewership from six weeks earlier.
Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy were three of the five candidates on stage. Getty ImagesThe debate was still the most-watched program Wednesday evening, topping ABC’s telecast of the CMA Awards — which drew 6.84 million viewers in the same time slot.
The two-hour debate was moderated by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Meet The Press” moderator Kristen Welker and Salem Radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Notably, the third debate began at 8 p.m. ET, an hour earlier than the previous debates, and was not simulcast on either MSNBC or CNBC.
Tim Scott qualified for the RNC’s debate, meeting the poll and donor requirements. Getty Images
Chris Christie was the fifth presidential candidate at the debate. Getty Images
Lester Holt and Kristen Welker were two of the three moderators. Getty ImagesFive candidates met the donor and poll benchmarks stipulated by the RNC to qualify for the debate. The participants included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
Former President Trump, who is besting the GOP field in the polls by around 40 points, chose to skip out on the debate again and held a rally 10 miles away in Hialeah, Fla.
The fourth RNC debate is scheduled to be held on Dec. 6 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It will be co-hosted by Nexstar’s NewsNation cable channel and simulcast on the CW network.
