JD Vance is focused on next month’s election. But the vice-presidential debate went a long way toward building his brand for a potential 2028 run.

An estimated 43.15 million viewers tuned in to the CBS News vice presidential debate this year, according to Nielsen, a media analytics company. The debate was held at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City, and aired across more than a dozen stations.

Four years ago, 57 million tuned in to the only vice presidential debate of the 2020 election cycle between Harris and then-Vice President Mike Pence. In 2008, a record 69.9 million watched Joe Biden and Sarah Palin face off on television in the most-watched VP debate, according to Nielsen.