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.
Illinois man charged with arson after allegedly setting home ablaze on Thanksgiving
USCIS halts ‘all asylum decisions’ after DC shooting of National Guard members
Abbey Gate Gold Star father blisters Biden after Afghan national allegedly ambushes 2 National Guardsmen in DC
Northwestern to pay $75M in federal civil-rights deal after antisemitism probes
Utah death row inmate with dementia dies of natural causes 3 months after execution was halted
At least two reported victims with gunshot wounds at Valley Fair Mall in California on Black Friday: police
State Department ‘immediately’ halts all Afghan passport visas following deadly National Guard attack
Trump plans ‘full and complete pardon’ for former Honduran president convicted of drug trafficking
A look back at the biggest presidential Thanksgiving scandals, surprises
Erika Kirk Shares First Thanksgiving Message Since Her Husband’s Passing
Political turkeys of 2025: Blunders of 2025 that will never be pardoned by the public
USA Today’s Spin on National Guard Shooting Shows Why Legacy Outlets Are Dying
Where the Trump admin’s court fight over National Guard in DC stands in wake of shooting
House Republican Calls for Full Pause on ALL Immigration After D.C. Attack: ‘Deport Every Non-Citizen’
NYC Council is Considering a Massive Pay Bump For Mamdani Before He Even Takes Office
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.
