Trump-less Fox News Debate Was The Second Lowest Rated GOP Debate

Marco Rubio, right, smiles as Ted Cruz makes a point during a Republican presidential primary debate, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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Thursday night’s Donald Trump-free debate was the second lowest rated Republican presidential debate this election cycle, according to Nielsen ratings reported by CNN.

The primetime debate drew 12.5 million viewers between 9 and 11 p.m., more than the 11 million that tuned in to the Fox Business Network Republican debate earlier in January but falling far short of the network’s blockbuster debate in August that drew 25 million viewers.

Although the debate was one of the lowest-rated forums, more people watched the debate than tuned into Trump’s fundraiser for veterans. Only about a quarter of the number of homes that watched the Thursday debate watched CNN and MSNBC’s coverage of Trump’s event, according to CNN.

This post has been updated.

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  1. Avatar for sjk sjk says:

    So that means a debate WITH the Dumpster was the lowest rated debate!

  2. So technically Trump won the debate. That’s just plain funny.

  3. So if it was 8.4% for the debate and a quarter of that for Trumpalooza, how does 10.5 compare to previous debates? Actually, no, it’s Friday, I don’t want to care about this.

  4. Maybe…or it means that people are starting to feel overwhelmed with politics. Which, given how many ads are running in NH and Iowa, is probably definitely part of the problem in those markets.

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