Against record-setting TV viewing for the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump a week ago, the Vice Presidential debate on Monday went in the opposite direction — posting the weakest results since 2000.
Tim Kaine and Mike Pence draw nowhere near the audience of Joe Biden and Sarah Palin — likely closer to Biden and Paul Ryan four years ago.
Tim Kaine and Mike Pence square off in one of the least-anticipated showdowns in recent memory. They’re overshadowed by their larger-than-life running mates. Don’t expect Trumped-up ratings.
The turnout was significantly smaller than the 69.9 million viewers who watched the 2008 vice presidential debate between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin, but otherwise the highest-viewed VP debate since the George H.W. Bush-Geraldine Ferraro debate in 1984, which had 56.7 million viewers.
