43 million watched Walz-Vance VP debate, in significant drop from 2020 matchup
CNN
It was a calmer, more civil debate – and a less popular one overall.
It was a calmer, more civil debate – and a less popular one overall. The vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance scored more than 43 million viewers on TV Tuesday night, according to Nielsen estimates. The 43 million figure is the combined audience across 15 TV networks that simulcast the CBS-produced debate. An unknown number of additional viewers watched the debate on YouTube and other online platforms. Vice presidential debates are typically lower-rated than presidential face-offs, and this year was no exception. Last month’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew more than 67 million viewers across 17 TV networks, according to Nielsen. Four years ago, 57 million tuned in to the only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle between Harris and then-Vice President Mike Pence. In 2008, a record 69.9 million watched Joe Biden and Sarah Palin face off on television in the most-watched VP debate, according to Nielsen. Still, Tuesday’s viewership total was enough to make the Walz-Vance debate one of the most-watched single telecasts of the year in the United States.