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Rather than segmenting the next Republican presidential debate in two parts to accommodate the sprawling field of candidates, the next one may be limited to one main event.

Lindsey Graham’s 10-minute landslide victory

The tradition of declaring a debate “winner” has had mixed results. President Barack Obama “won” very few, or none, of the debates that presaged his defeat of Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination. Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 comeback was made in New Hampshire town halls, not the debates. Yet the hunt is forever on for someone to break out of a debate, and for a few minutes yesterday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) finally had his moment.

The media are full of reviews of last night’s debates, declaring some candidates winners or losers or assessing whether they did what they needed. Much of the attention is focused on businesswoman Carly Fiorina, who seems by most accounts to be the evening’s winner, as this Bloomberg View article suggests:

Carly the Conqueror

No candidate took the stage with a greater opportunity, or higher expectations, than Carly Fiorina. That she proceeded to steal the show was the insta-conventional wisdom—and, in this case, ... Read More >>

After a flat performance in August at the first GOP debate, the South Carolina senator lit up the crowd at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library during CNN’s undercard debate, lashing his opponents with sharp barbs and dropping zingers that brought roars of approval.

GOP insiders: Carly crushed it

Carly Fiorina nailed it in the second Republican debate.

That’s the assessment of GOP insiders in a special edition of the POLITICO Caucus, our weekly survey of the top operatives, activists and strategists in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The GOP debate: 6 takeaways

Carly Fiorina — the lone woman among 10 male GOP candidates onstage — was very nearly excluded from the second debate of 2016 at the Reagan Library. Donald Trump probably wishes she had been.

Previewing the CNN Debate

Eleven Republican candidates will face off tonight in the main debate on CNN, and four more who didn’t qualify for the prime-time event will be featured in the early “undercard” debate. There’s no shortage of advice for the candidates, suggestions on what to look for, or assessments of what they need to do to win.

Politico suggests that the candidate with the biggest stake in tonight’s debate is Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker:

Scott Walker’s last best chance

Scott Walker needs to reassure his ... Read More >>