37 Million

Posting audience numbers that would make American Idol jealous, Sarah Palin made a debut last night that just might be unrivaled in modern political history.

Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention drew 37 million viewers, which is more than those who watched Democratic vice president Joe Biden or potential first lady Michelle Obama or even Hillary Clinton during the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Her audience, incredibly, was almost as big as Barack's. And she did it without styrofoam columns.

According to Nielsen ratings, Palin’s number was just 1.1 million viewers shy of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s record-breaking speech at the Democratic meeting Aug. 28, according to the most recent Nielsen Media Research rating.

During day one of the Democratic convention, Michelle Obama garnered 22 million total viewers, while Sen. Hillary Clinton got 26 million viewers the next night, and on day three, Biden had 24 million viewers.