Republican presidential hopefuls kicked off their first televised debate on Thursday.
The 10 highest polling candidates began squaring off just before 9 p.m. ET—a few hours after the rest of the crowded GOP field met on stage.
While front-runners—including real-estate mogul Donald Trump, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush—hoped to solidify their status in the race, those with weaker polling numbers saw the debate as an opportunity to gain some recognition with the electorate.
Many pundits and social media watchers were quick to announce former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as the winner of the not-top-10 event. The main debate, however, did not see any obvious winners, according to several pundits.