The GOP primary debate: Five takeaways
Trump: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
Talk of Donald Trump easing back and letting his opponents throw the punches at the debate proved wildly false, as the real estate tycoon came out swinging with his trademark flare. He declined to endorse the GOP nominee if it's not him. He refused to rule out an independent run. He insulted Fox News moderator Megyn Kelly. He made fun of Rosie O'Donnell. He refused to walk back his inflammatory statements on the undocumented. He shrugged. He smirked. And as the cheering crowd underscored, he proved he's not going anywhere. "Donald Trump is hitting a nerve in this country," conceded opponent Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Rand Paul's eye roll
In a heated exchange with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, the Kentucky senator was caught on camera rolling his eyes when Christie mentioned hugging families of 9/11 victims. Christie was responding to a Paul attack line about Christie hugging President Obama. The moment was a distraction from Paul's larger point defending his opposition to domestic surveillance of American citizens. The Christie-Paul tangle nabbed the top social media moment on Facebook, which co-hosted the debate.
John Kasich's home-field advantage
The Ohio governor barely cracked the top 10 field, but the home-state setting played to his advantage. Kasich, who has battled image problems about his temper, offered a compassionate conservative stance defending his expansion of Medicaid and acceptance of gay marriage as the law of the land. His comment about recently attending a gay wedding received audible applause from the GOP crowd, a notable departure from the 2011 GOP primary debate during which a gay soldier was booed.
Tough questions
After an awkward and slow start, Fox News' trio of moderators, Bret Baier, Chris Wallace, and Megyn Kelly received early and consistent praise throughout the evening for asking tough questions on domestic and foreign policy. Not all of the candidates agreed. “Some of these questions, I must admit, were a little long winded and a little convoluted,” Santorum told Hugh Hewitt.
Carly Fiorina had a great night
The former Hewlett-Packard executive didn't poll high enough to earn a slot on the main stage, but she was the breakout star of the "Happy Hour" debate Fox News hosted earlier in the evening for the seven candidates who didn't crack the top 10. Her even, focused demeanor and zingers against Donald Trump, Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton made her the standout in an otherwise lackluster forum. Conservative pundits lauded her performance. Former speaker and 2012 candidate Newt Gingrich tweeted Fiorina "is clearly the big winner in the first debate." She also enjoyed the biggest surge in Google searches on the second-tier candidates.