The first Republican debate of 2024 was held last night, and the ratings couldn’t compare with the ratings of the first Republican debate of 2016.
The debate, which was held in Cleveland, Ohio, featured a wide range of candidates from across the political spectrum. The debate was moderated by Fox News anchor Bret Baier and featured questions from a panel of journalists.
The debate was widely seen as a chance for the candidates to make their case to the American people and to show their differences from one another. However, the ratings for the debate were significantly lower than the ratings for the first Republican debate of 2016.
According to Nielsen, the debate drew an average of 8.3 million viewers, which is significantly lower than the 24 million viewers who tuned in for the first Republican debate of 2016. The debate also had a lower rating among adults aged 18-49, with a 1.2 rating compared to the 3.2 rating of the 2016 debate.
The lower ratings could be attributed to a number of factors. For one, the 2024 debate featured a much larger field of candidates than the 2016 debate. Additionally, the 2024 debate was held on a Tuesday night, while the 2016 debate was held on a Thursday night.
It is also possible that the lower ratings could be attributed to the fact that the 2024 debate was held four years after the 2016 debate. In the intervening years, the Republican Party has become increasingly divided, and the candidates in the 2024 debate may not have been as well-known to the public as the candidates in the 2016 debate.
Regardless of the reasons for the lower ratings, the first Republican debate of 2024 was an important event in the lead-up to the 2024 election. The debate provided an opportunity for the candidates to make their case to the American people and to show their differences from one another. It will be interesting to see how the ratings for future debates compare to the ratings of the first Republican debate of 2024.