Iowans see gains for Fiorina, Christie in GOP debate

Wednesday night’s free-for-all of a debate among 11 Republican presidential candidates opened several new lines of attack against front-runner Donald Trump — and proved that Carly Fiorina belongs on the big stage, Iowa political experts and observers said.

Moderators in the CNN-sponsored debate sparked numerous scuffles between Trump, who has led polling in the race for most of the summer, and rivals whom he has variously criticized and insulted in recent weeks.

Two of those ended up being the most notable moments of the night, said Iowa Republican strategist John Stineman.

The first was Fiorina’s response to comments Trump made in Rolling Stone that seemed to insult her appearance, when she won huge applause by replying, "I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”

“Her response to Trump was definitely a big moment,” Stineman said. Overall, he added, “she came across as sharp, well-informed on foreign policy, and confident.”

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The second big moment, according to Stineman and others, was candidate Jeb Bush’s defense of his brother, former President George W. Bush, against criticism from Trump and others related to the decision to go to war with Iraq in 2003.

“Jeb did himself a few favors tonight, especially by pointing out to Trump that America is safer because of W.'s leadership,” said Iowa Republican operative Jimmy Centers.

Trump, meanwhile, seemed to wilt at times under the glare — especially in the second half of the more-than-three-hour-long debate.

“Trump lost some ground,” Stineman said. “He just didn’t have much to say in the second half, and it was noticeable because he’s usually such a huge personality.”

Carly Fiorina

Fiorina was widely seen as a top performer in the debate.

“Fiorina home run!” Iowa social conservative activist Chuck Hurley exclaimed after Fiorina delivered a long riff criticizing controversial videos featuring officials from Planned Parenthood discussing fetal tissue transfers. Fiorina argued that congressional Republicans must pass a budget cutting federal funding for Planned Parenthood, thereby forcing President Barack Obama either to approve it or risk a government shutdown with a veto.

She later parried criticism from Trump about her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard and slammed Trump’s casino dealings in New Jersey.

“Carly Fiorina got under the bright lights and took advantage of the situation. She seized the opportunity. But now her challenge is to capitalize. Carly ought to come to Iowa right away and blitz the state to secure voters who were just introduced to her," said Centers, the outgoing communications director for Gov. Terry Branstad. Centers specified that he was speaking solely on his own behalf.

After Round 2: Can you say 'President Trump'?

Chris Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie won numerous plaudits from Iowa and national observers for his loose delivery, calm demeanor and determination to remain in the fray.

“Christie has muscled his way into this debate… strong performance,” WHO Radio host Jan Mickelson tweeted late in the debate.

In one strong moment, Christie punctured the ongoing argument as Fiorina and Trump criticized each other's business records. He called such spats “childish” and suggested the candidates on stage talk instead about the concerns of middle-class workers. Iowa Republican blogger Craig Robinson tweeted, “Nice shot by @GovChristie Perfect.”

“You gotta give Christie credit,” Cook Political Report National Editor Amy Walter tweeted. “He's been very good tonight.”

Jeb Bush

Centers saw the former Florida governor as holding his own in several dust-ups with Trump, although others saw areas where he may have damaged his standing with the GOP’s conservative base.

“Bush clearly won that exchange,” Centers said, alluding to an encounter in which Bush said as governor of Florida he denied Trump’s efforts to allow casino gambling in the state. “Trump did his best to spin his way out of it, but the truth is that Bush might be the only candidate who turned Trump away on the Florida casinos because he stuck to his principles.”

Debate moderators also raised comments Trump had made about Bush’s wife, leading Bush to demand an apology from Trump. “Jeb won a second key engagement with Trump, and put Trump on his heels,” Centers said.

But Bush’s apparent support for U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts — who has angered conservatives in recent years with rulings upholding the Affordable Care Act health care law — did not go over as well. Mickelson, in a tweet, called Bush’s comments a “big fail.”

Time to snooze? Jokes and complaints about 3-hour debate on Twitter

Scott Walker

Walker, Wisconsin's governor, led polling in Iowa before Trump’s surge to the front of the GOP pack this summer. His debate performance was widely panned as ineffectual.

University of Iowa political scientist Tim Hagle noted several commenters who faulted Walker for “not engaging sufficiently.”

Bloomberg Politics Reporter John McCormick, who has covered Walker’s campaign, tweeted late in the debate that Wednesday night was not the “game-changer that @ScottWalker and supporters wanted/needed.”

Ben Carson

Save for an exchange in which he debunked suggestions by Trump that autism may be linked to vaccines, Carson (a medical doctor) was seen as too passive and ineffective in advancing his message on Wednesday.

“Carson's calm demeanor is beginning to make him look weak,” said Polk County Republican activist Mary Whisenand.

Likewise, GOP activist Wesley Enos tweeted, “I'm sorry. I think he's a great man, but Ben Carson looks like he's in over his head up there tonight.”

Round 2: Republicans break out their best one-liners for second debate

Mike Huckabee

Huckabee was not often part of the discussion, but Hurley complimented his stances opposing judicial activism and citing the importance of vetting judicial nominees’ views on hot-button issues.

“Short of nuclear war, a president's longest-lasting legacy is the Supreme Court,” Hurley said. “Huckabee spoke blunt truth. Jurisprudence is rooted in a judge's values, spoken or unspoken, and those values need to be spoken, so people know what we're getting.”