Five things we learned from Monday's GOP forum in N.H.

Five things we learned from the Voters First Presidential Forum on Monday night in New Hampshire:

1. There are a LOT of Republican candidates, the 14 who appeared at this event plus Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore. The New Hampshire forum, in which each candidate had less than 10 minutes to make a variety of points, underscored how hard it will be to stand out in such a crowded field, unless you have a big name like Trump or Jeb Bush.  The candidates expressed very similar views on items like immigration, health care, and the threat of the Islamic State. They spent more time talking about the shortcomings of Hillary Clinton and President Obama than critiquing each other.

2. It's hard to draw many conclusions about any joint appearance that doesn't include the candidate who is leading most Republican polls at this time. None of the candidates mentioned Donald Trump, but his rise is the big story of the Republican race right now, and he will likely be the focal point of Thursday night's debate in Cleveland.

3. Immigration may be as big an issue in the Republican primaries as Obama's health care plan. Most of the candidates discussed it, and the issue of illegal immigration has fueled much of Trump's rise in the polls.

4. Local issues can become big factors in early contest states like New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Iowa. Currently in the news in New Hampshire: A reported rise in heroin trafficking, an issue that surfaced during the forum.

5. Candidates who are left out of Thursday's prime-time debate -- restricted to the top ten finishers in an aggregate of polls -- are going to protest loudly. Carly Fiorina, considered a long-shot for the top ten, made a point of thanking the organizers of Monday's for inviting all the candidates, saying that "we don't have a national primary."