4th GOP debate draws smaller audience than DeSantis vs. Newsom

The numbers fall in line with a broader trend of declining interest in the GOP primary as former President Donald Trump, who has not attended any debates, continues to grow in support.

By Ben Whedon

Published: December 7, 2023 3:48pm

The fourth Republican primary debate on Wednesday saw both the smallest number of participants and viewers thus far of the GOP debates, with more viewers tuning in to see the Fox News debate between Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Wednesday's spectacle saw DeSantis participate alongside tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and was hosted by NewsNation and The CW.

Collectively the two networks brought in an audience of just over 4 million, with 2.5 million watching via The CW and just under 1.6 million tuning in on NewsNation.

By contrast, last week's DeSantis vs. Newsom debate on Fox brought in an audience of 4.75 million. The first primary debate, which Fox News also hosted in August, brought in 13 million viewers.

The numbers fall in line with a broader trend of declining interest in the GOP primary as former President Donald Trump, who has not attended any debates, continues to grow in support. He currently stands as the clear front runner with 61.0% support in the RealClearPolitics polling average, leading nearest rival DeSantis by 47.5%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.