I said yesterday that Sarah Palin’s speech was the most anticipated in this election cycle, and it looks like the ratings back that up. Last night, Sarah Palin drew an audience of 37.2 million viewers.
I know, I know, you’re yelling back at your computer, “but Obama had 38.3 million viewers!”
However, you need to keep this in mind: Obama drew 38.3 million viewers on 10 networks. Sarah Palin drew 37.2 million viewers on just 6 networks. If she had those same four additional networks, which were Telemundo, TV One, Univision, and BET, she probably would have had more viewers than Obama’s record breaking viewership.
Earlier today, Obama said – in an effort to show that he’s had it tougher on the campaign trail than Palin – that he’s had 19 months of campaign scrutiny as compared to only 4-5 days for Palin. Think about that. Obama has had 19 months to sharpen his image, to get his message out, to tour Europe, and to run ads, while Palin only had a mere 4 to 5 days, yet her viewership came within an eyelash of Obama’s? Wow. If those who are running the Obama campaign are smart, they are terrified right now.
For more specifics on viewership, see Lorie’s post below.
Update: According to a CBS News poll taken between Monday and Wednesday, John McCain and Barack Obama are now tied at 42% each!!
