7 Ways the GOP Debate Did (and Didn't) Change 2016 Race - Good Morning America

4. Chris Christie Gears Up for a Run in New Hampshire

Chris Christie didn’t have any archrivals on the debate stage Tuesday night, but he clearly tried to differentiate himself from the two prominent senators on stage.

“If your eyes are glazing over like mine, this is what it is like to be on the floor of the United States Senate,” Christie said.

The New Jersey governor continually highlighted his experience as a former federal prosecutor. He painted Rubio and Cruz – both first-term Senators who have not held executive elected office – as people “who never had to make a consequential decision in an executive position.”

“I had to make these decisions after 9/11,” he continued. “Make a decision on how to proceed forward with an investigation or how to pull forward or pull back. Whether you use certain actionable intelligence or whether not to. Yet they debate about this bill and the subcommittee. And nobody in America cares about that.”

Polls in New Hampshire show Christie still stuck battling with other candidates in the middle of the pack, but a string of several significant endorsements in the Granite State over the past several weeks have given his campaign some momentum with 55 days until the voters are cast.

5. Most Candidates Still Bet on a Donald Trump Collapse

If you were watching Tuesday night’s debate without any knowledge of recent polling, you might think Rubio and Cruz were jockeying atop the race for the Republican nomination. Most of the candidates held their fire when it came to Trump, despite his 27-point lead in a recent national Monmouth University poll.

In addition to Jeb Bush, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the only other candidate who fired shots at Trump. “The question is, how do we keep America save from Terrorism?” Paul asked in his opening statement. “Trump says close that internet thing. The question is what does he mean by that? Like they do in North Korea? Like they do in China?”

“So, when you ask yourself whoever you are that think you're going to support Donald Trump. Think, do you believe in the constitution?” Paul said of Trump.

Paul also didn’t hesitate to pile on Marco Rubio over national security and immigration.

But the rest of the field largely held off on the Trump attacks, not rattled by the shrinking timeline before the first votes are cast and Trump’s wide leads nationally and in the crucial first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire.

And the New York real estate mogul is all in: He promised (again) Tuesday night that he would not mount a third party bid for president. \"I am totally committed to the Republican party. I feel very honored to be the front-runner,\" he said.

6. Too Crowded in the Granite State: Fiorina and Kasich Still Face Uphill Climbs

With Christie and Bush attracting most of the attention of moderate Republicans trying to coalesce against Trump, fiscally focused candidates like Carly Fiorina and John Kasich faced uphill climbs in New Hampshire.

Fiorina had previously surged into second place in some New Hampshire polls after the second GOP debate, but has since fallen by the wayside. Kasich has been unable to break out of the pack in the Granite State. And national polls have both stagnant in the low single digits.

Both candidates tried to create moments during Tuesday night’s faceoff.

“Frankly it's time that we punched the Russians in the nose,” Kasich said. “They’ve gotten away with too much in this world.”

Fiorina, the only woman on stage, highlighted her gender with a memorable quip: “I will just add that Margaret Thatcher once said if you want something talked about, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.”

But both struggled to stand out from the pack and attract speaking time. “I hope at some point you're going to ask me my strategy for defeating ISIS,” Fiorina said after roughly 20 minutes of silence.

7. Ben Carson Keeps Fading Behind Other Candidate Rivalries

Just one month ago, Ben Carson was widely seen as the largest threat to Donald Trump’s lead in Iowa and nationally. Some polls had even placed Carson ahead of the real estate mogul nationally. Not anymore.

And by opting not to wedge his way into the debate’s dynamic disagreements, Carson’s performance took a backstage to those moving up in the polls.

“This is the first time I have spoken and several people have had multiple questions. So, please try to pay attention to that,” Carson told the moderators during the debate, largely defined by the parallel battles between Rubio and Cruz, as well as Trump and Bush.

But explicitly given the opportunity to enter a debate between Rubio and Rand Paul, Carson declined. “I think you have to ask them about that,” he said. “I don't want to get in between them. Let them fight.”

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