According to the U.S. Senate, the first nationally televised presidential debate occurred in 1956. However, the candidates themselves, Adlai Stevenson and Dwight D. Eisenhower, did not participate directly. Instead, two prominent women debated on their behalf: Eleanor Roosevelt represented Stevenson, while Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine spoke for Eisenhower. This historic event aired on CBS.
While that debate established the first televised debate, a long gap from 1960 to 1976 took place. After John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated on ABC in 1960, no televised debates would take place again until 1976 when Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford debated at Walnut Street Theater.
The long gap in televised debates came down to two main factors. First, Lyndon Johnson didn’t feel he needed to debate when he ran after Kennedy’s assassination. He led the polls. The same was true of Nixon in the 1972 election. He led the polls and felt no need to debate his competition.
Second, the FCC created a rule requiring equal time for all candidates. If the main candidates didn’t want to debate in this larger pool of candidates, they could opt out. Many chose to forgo a debate for that reason.
It was in 1976 that networks could sponsor a debate and set their own rules. This opened the door to Democrat-Republican-only debates again. With that rule in place, nationally televised presidential debates became the norm. That event launched a long history of presidential debates. As we look back at history, what were the most watched presidential debates? (Don’t forget to learn 10 fascinating facts about U.S. presidents you probably didn’t know.)
To determine the most watched presidential debates, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on audience viewership from the Commission on Presidential Debates. Televised presidential debates were ranked based on total television viewership. Supplemental data on broadcast date, moderator and location is also from the CPD.
Here are the most memorable moments in presidential debate history:
34. Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole (2nd debate, 1996)
- Total viewership: 36.3 million
- Broadcast date: October 16, 1996
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Shiley Theater at University of San Diego (San Diego, CA)
33. Al Gore vs. George W. Bush (2nd debate, 2000)
- Total viewership: 37.5 million
- Broadcast date: October 11, 2000
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
32. Al Gore vs. George W. Bush (3rd debate, 2000)
- Total viewership: 37.7 million
- Broadcast date: October 17, 2000
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Field House at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
30. Al Gore vs. George W. Bush (1st debate, 2000)
- Total viewership: 46.6 million
- Broadcast date: October 3, 2000
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Clark Athletic Center at University of Massachusetts (Boston, MA)
29. George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry (2nd debate, 2004)
- Total viewership: 46.7 million
- Broadcast date: October 8, 2004
- Moderator: Charles Gibson (ABC)
- Location: Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
28. George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry (3rd debate, 2004)
- Total viewership: 51.1 million
- Broadcast date: October 13, 2004
- Moderator: Bob Schieffer (CBS)
- Location: Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium at ASU (Tempe, AZ)
27. John McCain vs. Barack Obama (1st debate, 2008)
- Total viewership: 52.4 million
- Broadcast date: September 26, 2008
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: University of Mississippi (Oxford, MS)
26. John McCain vs. Barack Obama (3rd debate, 2008)
- Total viewership: 56.5 million
- Broadcast date: October 15, 2008
- Moderator: Bob Schieffer (CBS)
- Location: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
25. Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney (3rd debate, 2012)
- Total viewership: 59.2 million
- Broadcast date: October 22, 2012
- Moderator: Bob Schieffer (CBS)
- Location: Wold Performing Arts Center at Lynn University (Boca Raton, FL)
24. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon (4th debate, 1960)
- Total viewership: 60.4 million
- Broadcast date: October 21, 1960
- Moderator: Quincy Howe (ABC)
- Location: ABC Studios (New York, NY)
23. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon (2nd debate, 1960)
- Total viewership: 61.9 million
- Broadcast date: October 7, 1960
- Moderator: Frank McGee (NBC)
- Location: WRC-TV studios (Washington, D.C.)
22. George W. Bush vs. John F. Kerry (1st debate, 2004)
- Total viewership: 62.4 million
- Broadcast date: September 30, 2004
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Convocation Center at University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL)
21. George Bush vs. Ross Perot (1st debate, 1992)
- Total viewership: 62.4 million
- Broadcast date: October 11, 1992
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Field House at Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
20. Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford (3rd debate, 1976)
- Total viewership: 62.7 million
- Broadcast date: October 22, 1976
- Moderator: Barbara Walters (ABC)
- Location: Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall at W&M (Williamsburg, VA)
19. Joe Biden vs. Donald J. Trump (3rd debate, 2020)
- Total viewership: 63.0 million
- Broadcast date: October 22, 2020
- Moderator: Kristen Welker (NBC)
- Location: Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
18. John McCain vs. Barack Obama (2nd debate, 2008)
- Total viewership: 63.2 million
- Broadcast date: October 7, 2008
- Moderator: Tom Brokaw (NBC)
- Location: Belmont University (Nashville, TN)
17. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon (3rd debate, 1960)
- Total viewership: 63.7 million
- Broadcast date: October 13, 1960
- Moderator: Bill Shadel (ABC)
- Location: Split-screen telecast with Nixon and panelists in ABC studios in Los Angeles and Kennedy in ABC studio in New York (Los Angeles, CA & New York, NY)
16. Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford (2nd debate, 1976)
- Total viewership: 63.9 million
- Broadcast date: October 6, 1976
- Moderator: Pauline Frederick (NPR)
- Location: Palace of Fine Arts (San Francisco, CA)
15. George Bush vs. Michael Dukakis (1st debate, 1988)
- Total viewership: 65.1 million
- Broadcast date: September 25, 1988
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC)
14. Ronald Reagan vs. Walter Mondale (1st debate, 1984)
- Total viewership: 65.1 million
- Broadcast date: October 7, 1984
- Moderator: Barbara Walters (ABC)
- Location: Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts (Louisville, KY)
13. Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney (2nd debate, 2012)
- Total viewership: 65.6 million
- Broadcast date: October 16, 2012
- Moderator: Candy Crowley (CNN)
- Location: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)
12. John F. Kennedy vs. Richard M. Nixon (1st debate, 1960)
- Total viewership: 66.4 million
- Broadcast date: September 26, 1960
- Moderator: Howard K. Smith (CBS)
- Location: WBBM-TV studios (Chicago, IL)
11. Hillary Clinton vs. Donald J. Trump (2nd debate, 2016)
- Total viewership: 66.5 million
- Broadcast date: October 9, 2016
- Moderator: Anderson Cooper (CNN)
- Location: Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
10. George Bush vs. Ross Perot (3rd debate, 1992)
- Total viewership: 66.9 million
- Broadcast date: October 19, 1992
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: Wharton Center for Performing Arts at MSU (East Lansing, MI)
9. Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney (1st debate, 2012)
- Total viewership: 67.2 million
- Broadcast date: October 3, 2012
- Moderator: Jim Lehrer (PBS)
- Location: University of Denver (Denver, CO)
8. George Bush vs. Michael Dukakis (2nd debate, 1988)
- Total viewership: 67.3 million
- Broadcast date: October 13, 1988
- Moderator: Bernard Shaw (CNN)
- Location: Pauley Pavilion at UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)
7. Ronald Reagan vs. Walter Mondale (2nd debate, 1984)
- Total viewership: 67.3 million
- Broadcast date: October 21, 1984
- Moderator: Edwin Newman (NBC)
- Location: Music Hall, Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City, KS)
6. Jimmy Carter vs. Gerald Ford (1st debate, 1976)
- Total viewership: 69.7 million
- Broadcast date: September 23, 1976
- Moderator: Edwin Newman (NBC)
- Location: Walnut Street Theater (Philadelphia, PA)
5. George Bush vs. Ross Perot (2nd debate, 1992)
- Total viewership: 69.9 million
- Broadcast date: October 15, 1992
- Moderator: Carole Simpson (ABC)
- Location: Robins Center at University of Richmond (Richmond, VA)
4. Hillary Clinton vs. Donald J. Trump (3rd debate, 2016)
- Total viewership: 71.6 million
- Broadcast date: October 19, 2016
- Moderator: Chris Wallace (FOX)
- Location: Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV (Las Vegas, NV)
3. Joe Biden vs. Donald J. Trump (1st debate, 2020)
- Total viewership: 73.1 million
- Broadcast date: September 29, 2020
- Moderator: Chris Wallace (FOX)
- Location: Health Education Campus Samson Pavilion (Cleveland, OH)
2. Jimmy Carter vs. Ronald Reagan (2nd debate, 1980)
- Total viewership: 80.6 million
- Broadcast date: October 28, 1980
- Moderator: Howard K. Smith (ABC)
- Location: Public Music Hall (Cleveland, OH)
1. Hillary Clinton vs. Donald J. Trump (1st debate, 2016)
- Total viewership: 84.0 million
- Broadcast date: September 26, 2016
- Moderator: Lester Holt (NBC)
- Location: Hofstra University (Hempstead, NY)