The October 2020 debate between Harris and Pence was the second-most watched vice presidential debate ever.
The debate between Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Republican U.S. Senator JD Vance of Ohio saw a sharp decline in viewership compared to the 2020 vice presidential debate.
Viewing figures released by Nielsen on Wednesday showed that 43.1 million people tuned in to watch the Tuesday night event. In 2020, 57.9 million people witnessed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, then a U.S. senator, face off against GOP Vice President Mike Pence.
While the Walz-Vance debate, which was noted for being a relatively civil affair, was viewed by almost 25 percent less people than its predecessor, the Harris-Pence debate was also the second-most watched VP debate since Nielsen began keeping records.
The most-watched debate among presidential running mates was the 2008 clash between Democratic President Joe Biden, at the time a long-serving senator, and then-Republican Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, which had 69.9 million viewers.
Ratings for Tuesday’s debate were similar to the 2004 vice presidential debate between then-GOP Vice President Dick Cheney and then-Democratic U.
