Ron Paul boosted his national profile with a strong debate performance. He was one of the three big winners along with Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
The only problem is that his message connects most with liberals and independents than it does with the Republican base.
More outings like this and Paul will be perfectly positioned for a 3rd party run in the general election.
Newt Gingrich also gets high marks for coming across more passionate and likeable than at any other point in this campaign process.
Mitt Romney can also count himself among the winners because of yet another solid, steady performance. Romney has shown time in and time out that his grasp of the issues and his ability to pull facts and figures out when he needs really sets him apart.
