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.
At least two dead after ‘targeted’ shooting at Rhode Island hockey game
China pledges aid to Ukraine as US officials warn Beijing is quietly fueling Russia’s war
ICE sweeps up convicted pedophiles, traffickers in massive holiday weekend sting: ‘Worst of the worst’
Video: A Liberal Karen Proudly Brags TPUSA School Event Was Reported to Child Protective Services Because She Didn’t Like It
Nancy Guthrie’s family cleared in kidnapping case, with sheriff ‘begging’ media to show compassion
Video: AOC Finally Admits It: They Made Up ‘Whiteness’ – And the Reason They Did It Is Literally Satanic
Trump rips Newsom’s UK pact as 2028 showdown chatter grows
Multiple people shot at Rhode Island ice rink in domestic violence-related murder-suicide
Obama calls Los Angeles homelessness an ‘atrocity,’ criticizes ‘losing’ political strategy
TMZ pleads with man to prove himself after receiving fourth letter claiming to know where Nancy Guthrie is
Agitator arrested on battery charge outside Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course
BREAKING: Legendary Actor Robert Duvall Dead at 95
Priceless: ‘I Want My Mommy!’ – Anti-ICE Student Tangles With Cop, Begins Wailing for Her Mom as Soon as Cuffs Go On
Montana governor launches sanctuary crackdown, probes capital city over ICE limits
‘At some point, you age out’: Obama urges Democrats to pass torch to younger candidates
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.
