Dubbed the “happy hour” debate, the Fox News lower tier event yesterday, according to many viewers and analysts, was a clear win for former HP CEO Carly Fiorina.
Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza argued Fiorina’s outstanding performance should earn her a spot on the big stage with the top tier candidates despite her low polling numbers to-date.
While the other candidates responses to questioned ranged from nervous and “disjointed” to dour or angry, Fiorina was poised, smooth and prepared.
Demonstrating what Cillizza called the “it factor”, whether Fiorina’s poll numbers will jump as a result of her performance will be closely watched in the coming days.
Her greatest challenge is that the lowest ranking candidates on the top-tier stage performed well enough to maintain or even improve their positions in the polls.
