‘Happy Hour Debate’ features noticeably small audience
There were a few empty seats at Thursday’s “undercard” debate. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)
The seven Republican candidates relegated to Thursday’s “Happy Hour Debate” on Fox News took the stage at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland armed with talking points and crowd-pleasing one-liners — but there was almost no one in the audience to hear them.
While the primetime debate is open to the public, the audience for the 5 p.m. “undercard” event at the 20,000-seat arena was limited to friends, family and credentialed reporters. Photos taken by journalists on the scene showed a sparse number of attendees.
For those watching the debates on television, the near-empty room looked — and sounded — pretty odd.
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The audience at the preliminary contest in Cleveland by @dougmillsnyt Live #GOPDebate updates http://t.co/AUfTFpMT4h pic.twitter.com/jmzavLoJMJ
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics)
Fox News happy hour debate has an embarrassingly empty audience.
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance)
A massive crowd of tens of people! pic.twitter.com/risgPsPoTx
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew)
Zingers without an audience are not zingers. #ProTip #GOPDebate
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead)
Without audience, first #GOPdebate underway in “The Q” arena in #Cleveland pic.twitter.com/D76ADpvHG0
— M. Scott Mahaskey (@smahaskey)
Someone should tell these guys that applause lines only work when there is an audience that can applaud. #FoxKiddieDebate
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC)
is anybody in the audience? #GOPDebate
— Azi (@Azi)
I think there are more people in my house than in the “Happy Hour” debate audience. I guess they all went to Happy Hour.
— Taft Matney (@taftmatney)
Not very many people in the audience for the undercard candidate #GOPDebate in Cleveland: pic.twitter.com/mXcmBtNaL2
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC)
Who’s that one guy in the audience?
— Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell)
I know politicians have major egos, but it has to be pretty crushing to look out and see this audience. (NYT photo). pic.twitter.com/0FRHs7g7Or
— Eric Berger (@chronsciguy)
It even caught Fox News’ Howard Kurtz and Greg Gutfeld by surprise.
Tiny audience for 5 pm debate. No attempt to invite one, but man it’s quiet in there #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/a21yRGJrFZ
— HowardKurtz (@HowardKurtz)
is there no one in the audience? that’s got to be creepy. Like a stripper in a dive bar dancing to the jukebox.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld)
Not to worry. According to organizers, all 4,500 tickets to the primetime debate have been distributed, and they expect a packed house — one that will reportedly include Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
