Carly Fiorina was the breakout star of Thursday’s undercard debate.
Prior to the debate, Fox News hosts discussed whether the debate was Fiorina’s to lose — and she didn’t disappoint.
Right out of the gate, Fiorina scoffed at the idea that her low poll numbers were significant at this early stage, reminding debate co-host Martha MacCallum that former presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were all down in the polls at this point in their respective races.
She followed up with a concise answer describing her story of being a secretary who rose the ranks to become CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
She had many of the most memorable lines of the evening, beginning with her swipe at Donald Trump for taking a phone call from former President Bill Clinton prior to announcing his presidential bid. She also insisted that her first phone call in the Oval Office would be to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in order to “reassure him we will stand with Israel.”
Her second phone call, though she doubts it would be answered, would be to the president of Iran, to demand the U.S. have access to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and military facilities, “anytime, anywhere for real inspection.”
After the debate, Chris Wallace and George Will both agreed that Fiorina excelled during the debate. Wallace praised her “sharpness.”
Meanwhile, some of the other candidates seemed half-asleep. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham spoke in a monotonous, dull tone that suggested he wasn’t as prepared as he should have been. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s most memorable moment came when he mispronounced Ronald Reagan as “Ronald Raven.”
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal rambled at times while discussing issues many voters may not be familiar with. His Planned Parenthood response wandered from the current scandal regarding the organization to an attack on Republicans in Congress not doing enough.
I can’t remember a single thing the other candidates said.
Would Fiorina have performed as well in the main debate against the likes of Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz? Perhaps she will get the opportunity after her strong showing on Thursday.
