Republican primary debate scores 18 million viewers on Tuesday

Donald Trump, center, speaks as Ben Carson, left, and Ted Cruz look on during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Venetian Hotel & Casino on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2015, in Las Vegas.

Tuesday’s debate ranks as CNN’s second-most watched event, finishing ahead of the 16.8 million who watched Al Gore and Ross Perot debate the NAFTA agreement on “Larry King Live” in 1993.

It appears as though the approximately eleventy billion GOP primary debates isn’t putting a damper on voters’ enthusiasm to actually watch. It was the first debate to use early-state polls as a way for candidates to qualify for the main stage. Rand Paul, who was in danger of being relegated to the undercard debate, along with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

It’s a good sign for programmers still champing at the bit to put the Republicans (most notably Donald Trump) on live TV.

Before the prime-time showdown, the four lower-tier Republican candidates – Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Lindsey Graham and George Pataki – participated in a one-hour debate.

Supplies: As in previous debates, the 13 candidates won’t be allowed to bring much with them to the debate stage. Fox Business Network just announced another debate for January, the sixth of 11 planned.

Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s anchor of “The Situation Room” and “Wolf”, will serve as moderator of the debate.