An estimated 57.9 million viewers watched Wednesday night’s matchup of Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris, the second biggest total ever for a vice-presidential debate, according to Nielsen. The audience for the roughly 90-minute event was much larger than the one for the 2016 vice-presidential debate between Mr. Pence and Senator Tim Kaine, which drew 37 million television viewers. The number of viewers for vice-presidential contests usually lags far behind the audience for presidential showdowns — though there have been notable exceptions. In 2008, nearly 70 million witnessed Sarah Palin’s debate-stage debut against Joseph R. Biden Jr. And 56.7 million watched the 1984 contest between George H.W. Bush and Geraldine Ferraro, the first time a woman had taken the vice-presidential debate stage.

Source: New York Times October 08, 2020 21:44 UTC