Carly Fiorina shines in opening debate

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina delivered the strongest performance in Thursday’s opening debate of lower-polling Republican presidential candidates, making an effective case for why she deserves to be on the main stage with the top-tier contenders for the nomination.

With 17 GOP candidates running for president, Fox News divided the field into two camps — a main, primetime debate featuring 10 candidates, and a 5 p.m. debate featuring candidates who didn’t make the cut. The earlier debate left candidates at a disadvantage, because of the decreased attention, and the lack of a live audience. The absence of a crowd, in particular, deprived candidates of any applause lines, and their jokes were greeted by awkward silence.