US Presidential Debate Sees Significant Increase in Viewership

In seven states that are likely to determine the outcome of the US presidential election, Democratic candidate Vice President Harris and Republican candidate former President Trump faced off on television. The number of viewers has increased significantly, with 67.1 million people tuning in to watch the debate.

The increase was even higher in “swing states,” according to Nielsen, a research firm that tracks the state’s election results. Arizona and Wisconsin had the largest increases, with viewership up 41%, while Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania also saw increases above the national average.

“Clearly, something very interesting is happening,” said Brian Fuller, senior vice president of product strategy at Nielsen, which compiles the viewing data.

The Harris-Trump debate drew more viewers across all racial groups, with the biggest gains among Asian and black viewers, according to Nielsen, while Hispanic viewership increased 41% and white viewership increased 22%.

In the debate on the 10th, Harris and Trump had a heated debate on issues such as abortion rights, immigration policy, and the economy. Trump called the debate his “best debate ever,” but he accused the ABC News moderator of being biased against him and indicated he would not debate again.

Democratic major donors praised Harris’ victory, and popular singer Taylor Swift voiced her support on social media shortly after the debate ended.

Republican Senator Vance and Democratic Governor Walz of Minnesota will face off as vice presidential candidates in a debate hosted by CBS News on October 1.