By Jordan Stephen
After over five hours of debate complete with character jabs, Ronald Reagan invocations, conservative tax proposals and Obama bashing, the Republican presidential nominee field has been shaken up yet again as Establishment candidates stood their ground and new faces broke through the noise.
Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, blew past her opponents with a dynamic performance that made her the clear winner of the competition. Though she has seen little support in recent polling, her post-debate numbers are likely to pick up.
Initially kept out of the Fox News prime-time debate because of her low polling, Fiorina insisted she participate in the later, more watched debate. It paid off. The sole female Republican candidate on stage went in attack mode on Donald Trump, established herself as an astute businesswoman, and delivered impassioned remarks about leadership and Planned Parenthood.
The Donald will need to nurse his wounds.
The real estate mogul's signature brand machismo came off as exhausting and nearly every candidate he went after was able to fend off his verbal assaults. Fiorina had the best defense, forcing Trump to simmer in sexist remarks he had made about her appearance by stating "women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said."
While the two Washington outsiders went back and forth, it was another low-polling candidate who tried to play adult. Governor Chris Christie, who was named a favorite back in the spring, did his best to trivialize the squabbling and direct the conversation back toward the American people.
"You're both successful people. Congratulations!" he chided. "You know who's not successful? The middle class in this country is getting plowed over by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Let's start talking about those issues tonight and stop this childish back and forth between the two of you."
Christie went on to boast his prosecutorial background as grounds for strong leadership.
Meanwhile, Jeb Bush, who had been criticized by Trump for his "low-energy" personality, stood toe-to-toe with the real estate magnate, eloquently defending both his own record and his brother George W. Bush's tenure in the White House.
With more enthusiasm, Bush successfully presented himself as an invested candidate with established policy chops.
But not everyone was able to bust out of the gate.
Among the less compelling performers, Dr. Ben Carson failed to excite the audience or present policy ideas that set him apart from the rest of the field. The neurosurgeon's answers felt uninspired even when fielding a medical question related to child vaccination.
Besides Trump, Carson had the most to lose. He recently soared to second place among Republican voters, but his weak performance could cost him the rank in the coming weeks.
At the bottom of the barrel was Rand Paul, who generally seemed unhappy to be on stage. The senator answered almost every question with an annoyed inflection. Only when addressing the legalization of Marijuana did he show any zeal. Unfortunately for Paul, drug policy is not an issue that galvanizes Republican voters.
Other poor contestants, such as Scott Walker and Mike Huckabee, are likely to throw in the towel once primary voting begins in February.
Both Carson's and Trump's performances could cost them their spots at the top of the primary pyramid. Already, the media and the public seem to be losing interest in The Donald's antics, while Carson could see his "popular outsider" position usurped by Fiorina.
Strong performances by more traditional candidates, such as Bush and Christie, could steer the Republican race down a more familiar path where establishment politicians take the lead.
One thing is certain, however: With such a varied cast of characters, the GOP drama will not let up anytime soon.
For more visit GVH Live