On the night of Wednesday, September 16, the second round of GOP debates was broadcast live from the Ronald Reagan Library in California. With Donald Trump at the center of the stage with Ben Carson to his right and Jeb Bush on his left, the candidates seemed to be staged in relevance to their rankings in the national polls. The newest face among the 11 top tier candidates on Wednesday night was that of former business executive Carly Fiorina.

Fiorina delivered a stunning performance at the second GOP debate, casting a new spotlight and immediate buzz around her long-shot run for the 2016 nomination. Fiorina went into the debate understanding that most Americans didn’t really know who she was, which she somehow used to her advantage by making a strong and impressive initial name for herself. The candidate out-shined other nominees when it came to her epic responses to questions geared at defunding planned parenthood, the threat of Russia and Iran, immigration, and Trump’s insulting comments to Rolling Stone. Fiorina received applause after strongly shutting down Planned Parenthood, rallying for the Republican Party not to back down to Obama and push for a veto, gaining approval from the ultra conservative base of GOP voters.

Fiorina’s performance soared in her responses to questions regarding Trump. Trump insulted Fiorina’s looks in a tweet stating: “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next President?” When Fiorina was asked to respond to these remarks on Wednesday night, she answered saying, “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.” A comeback that rocked Trump and gained applause, showing Fiorina’s ability to deflate Trump without saying much at all, simply proving a very obvious point.

Another strong point of Fiorina’s debate was her straightforward plan of action concerning foreign policy. In regard to Iran, Fiorina stated that upon her first day in office she intends to call Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei to:

“Reassure him that unless Iran opens its nuclear facilities to US inspectors, the US will make it as difficult as possible for Iran to move money around, so that every ally and adversary knows the US is back in the leadership business.”

What impressed me most about Fiorina’s foreign policy stance was her clearness in where she stood on specific issues and what she intends to do. Other candidates did not replicate Fiorina’s on stage presence, and fumbled around concrete issues regarding major domestic, and international issues.

The immediate buzz following the GOP debate included many favorable mentions of Carly Fiorina. She surprised people all over the nation, fighting her way to the main debate stage and making a name for herself that I believe will continue to gain more attention as the race for the Republican nomination grows closer.