Trump maintained the greatest amount of attention throughout most of the two-hour event, boosted at the beginning by a tense discussion when he wouldn't rule out a run as an independent if he wasn't chosen as the Republican nominee. Bush edged him out for just a short moment, but Trump, who came into the event with the highest poll numbers, quickly regained his lead.
The candidates mostly competed for time through questions from the moderators. At one point, Ben Carson, who was trailing in air time for a long time in the beginning of the night, thanked moderator Megyn Kelly for asking him a question.
"I wasn't sure I was going to get to talk again," Carson said.