The College Fix

It looks as though right-leaning college students are just as divided as everyone else on who did best during Thursday night’s GOP debate.

In comments to The College Fix, students who identify as Republican or libertarian had a wide variety of views on the highs and lows of Thursday’s two separate exchanges between the 17 contenders vying for the Republican presidential nomination.

One thing students did seem to agree on, however, was that Donald Trump did not stand out, and Jeb Bush flubbed it.

Only one of the five students interviewed even mentioned Trump’s performance, and they only had negative things to say.

“I think Trump fizzled out,” Jacob Ellenhorn, president of the USC College Republicans, told The Fix. “He only performs well when he is the sole focus. When he has to share a stage and a spotlight he simply does not perform. He really prides himself on being a ‘real’ person and not a politician. Ironically, he danced around every question and simply could not give a proper nuanced response.”

Ellenhorn said he was very impressed with Carly Fiorina.

“Being on the early debate really seemed like a benefit. Carly rocked the early debate and really managed to stand out,” he said. “I would not be surprised to see her at the next primetime debate.”

For Jacob Kohlhepp, president of the UCLA Bruin Republicans, John Kasich was the standout.

“Kasich bridged a gap between socially conservative Republicans and the new generation of more socially open Republicans by crafting a message of love and acceptance regarding the gay marriage supreme court decision,” Kohlhepp said in an email to The College Fix. “It was a brilliant show of statesmanship, and probably the greatest single moment of the debate.”

“Rubio definitely had the most solid performance overall,” Kohlhepp added. “He was not given the chance to speak as much as others, but during the moments he was given his messaging was short, deliberate, hopeful, and entirely presidential.”

Abraham Herrera, a freshman at Dartmouth College, said that while he thought “the majority of candidates really shined,” he was especially moved by Mike Huckabee.

“Huckabee was a big surprise,” Herrera said in a statement to The College Fix. “He really seemed to be up to date on issues and was able to communicate his positions clearly and in an inspiring way.”

Not everyone rose to the occasion, Herrera noted: “Bush really fell behind with a slew of mistakes.” And he was disappointed Ben Carson was not given more of an opportunity.

“I really feel like Carson was left out to dry though, he seemed prepared for the questions and responded humorously but just wasn’t given the light of day to speak on issues and was given questions that others weren’t receiving, such as race,” he said.

Recent University of Wisconsin grad David Hookstead said his favorite part was the exchange between Chris Christie and Rand Paul over the Patriot Act and the 4th Amendment.

“I love Rand’s comment about getting a warrant,” Hookstead said.

“I also thought Carson was very smooth and eloquent,” he added.

University of Michigan student Omar Mahmood said he was impressed “at how firmly the candidates stood against the tide.”

“Howsoever they might stand on the issues, I did not see politicians on the stage tonight in Cleveland. I saw strong and principled men on that stage, who spoke sincerely and humbly and with faith in God,” Mahmood told The College Fix. “They reminded us that the Republican Party is the party of strength and principle, while the Democratic Party can only give us politicians whose only principle is to appease the people.”

Posting his reaction to the debate on Facebook, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill College Republicans member Frank Pray stated that while he has yet to endorse or support any particular candidate, “Rubio was the clear winner of the first debate.”

“Going into the debate, no one expected him to be stellar, and he really was. He consistently knocked it out of the park,” Pray wrote. “Walker, Cruz, Carson, and Kasich also had strong showings. Paul was decent as was Christie. Bush blew it. He should have been better given his family’s history.”

And like other young people, Pray was impressed with Fiorina.

“She deserves a spot on the main stage,” he wrote. “She is ready to be among the top tier of candidates and has earned her place as a leader in the Republican Party. It’s high time one of our strong conservative women be one of the public facing champions of our principles.”

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College Fix reporter Sandor Farkas contributed to this report.

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