NEW YORK — Two down, 15 to go. At least.
The presidential-debate circuit began in earnest with CNN’s forum from New Hampshire on Monday. It may be a slog, with more than a dozen such events already scheduled for Republicans who want President Barack Obama’s job, but it’s an obstacle course filled with opportunities and pitfalls for both candidates and television networks.
The CNN debate was a prime example: People were talking the day after about whether Rep. Michele Bachmann was savvy in attracting attention to herself by announcing her candidacy Monday and whether Tim Pawlenty proved too cautious in going after rival Mitt Romney.
Monday’s debate was seen by an average of 3.16 million viewers, the Nielsen Co. said.
That may seem small in comparison with the 7.8 million people who watched “The Bachelorette” on ABC or the 5.3 million who saw the Stanley Cup Finals hockey game on NBC, but it’s big in the world of cable news. On a typical Monday night this year, CNN’s average audience is 652,000 people.
