All in all, CNN viewers would rather watch Don Lemon than Beto O’Rourke. The network’s hour-long town hall with the Texas congressman and Democratic presidential candidate drifted to a distant third-place finish in Tuesday night’s cable news ratings–and was down significantly from the network’s average Tuesday night ratings delivery.
According to ratings data compiled by Nielsen, the O’Rourke town hall delivered a total audience of 714,000 viewers, while MSNBC and Fox News Channel both exceeded two million viewers in the same time period: 2.196 million for MSNBC and 2.260 million for top-rated Fox News.
CNN’s ratings delivery was down nearly 30% compared to its average Tuesday night, which over the last few months has typically reached more than one million viewers. O’Rourke even failed to exceed the audience that watched a CNN town hall featuring third-tier candidate John Hickenlooper, which drew 745,000 viewers in March. The lowest-rated town hall so far this cycle was CNN’s event with Julian Castro, which reached just 654,000 viewers in April.
Texas flooding victims include Dallas Catholic school sisters, camp counselor, Walmart employee
Gavin Newsom is making a strategic visit to a key primary state, raising eyebrows
Court shuts down redistricting fight in key swing state — here’s what it means
Schumer asks inspector general to investigate link between NWS staff cuts and Texas flood
Working-class support eludes Mamdani as Trump finds a bogeyman
Texas summer camp evacuated 70 staying near river ahead of flooding: ‘Saw it coming’
‘Ninety deals in 90 days’: Where things stand as trade deadline fast approaches
Marines team up with ICE in bold move to boost ‘threat awareness’ at critical military bases
Father outraged after discovering daughter’s alleged killer should have been behind bars years ago
Young Texas camp survivor describes harrowing moment she prepared for worst during deadly flood
Fighter jets protect Trump during NJ weekend stay as 11 aircraft violate restricted airspace
Texas school gathers supplies to help flood-impacted locals after spotlight moves on
Trump dismisses Musk’s political ambitions as ‘ridiculous’ in sharp rebuke
‘Stop, Stop, Stop, Stop’: Watch Beyonce’s Alarmed Response After Concert Stunt Goes Awry
Bessent says DOGE, not Musk, was popular in taunt of ex-Trump adviser’s new ‘America Party’
Among viewers 25-54, the demographic group most valued by national advertisers, CNN’s O’Rourke town hall had 194,000 viewers, down 38% from its average Tuesday night delivery of 313,000. In the demo, Fox News finished first with 362,000 viewers, followed by MSNBC (315,000).
The poor ratings will raise questions about O’Rourke’s ability to generate buzz in a crowded field, but also about the debate among Democrats over the wisdom of going where the viewers are and appearing on Fox News. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren recently announced she would not accept an offer to appear in a Fox town hall, while candidates like Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg have reached large audiences on FNC. Sanders’ Fox town hall remains the highest-rated town hall this cycle, with a total audience of 2.554 million viewers.
