Third GOP Debate's Ratings Plunge 71 Percent Since 2015

The third Republican presidential primary debate, hosted by NBC News, witnessed a dramatic viewership decline with just over 6 million viewers tuning in, marking the lowest audience turnout of the current campaign season and a 45% drop in viewers from the first debate.

The drop in Wednesday's debate was blamed on RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticizing her handling of the forums and calling for her to resign.

"We've got [NBC's] Kristen Welker here," Ramaswamy said during the debate.

"Do you think the Democrats would actually hire [Fox News host] Greg Gutfeld to host a Democratic debate? They wouldn't do it."

McDaniel organized the presidential debates and reportedly offended former President Donald Trump by giving Fox News control over the first two forums.