Republicans knew this debate was an important opportunity to make a strong impression on viewers.
Ben Carson, running second in the polls, put in a solid performance. Mid-tier candidates like Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich succeeded in getting more air time.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, seemed to dial back his rhetoric a bit from the first debate - but you wouldn't know that from his opening shot.
Minutes into Wednesday night's Republican debate, Trump launched into one of his signature attacks - randomly calling out Rand Paul for being at 1 percent in the polls.
But while Trump, the frontrunner, did get a majority of the attention, the second Republican debate was not "The Trump Show."
"This was one of the first times that Donald Trump didn't necessarily come off as kind of superscillious," said political analyst and author Rich Rubino. "At one point, he even gave Jeb Bush a high five."
Rubino says it was debate newcomer Carly Fiorina who most effectively took on Trump in a way the other Republican candidates have not been able or willing to do.
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Responding to Trump's past comment, "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?" Fiorina said, "I think women around the country heard you very clearly."
"She's really using this to her advantage," said Rubino. "She's very smart in that respect, and there's very little Trump can do other than say she has a very nice face.""
Speaking after the debate, Fiorina proved she is even more anxious to take on the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, saying her track record, on Benghazi, on email, on her serve, is one of lies.
Jeb Bush seemed determined to step up his game, particularly to show he is not the "low energy" candidate Trump has painted him.
They got into a heated back-and-forth on casino gambling in Florida.
Bush said Trump wanted casino gambling in Florida - a charge Trump denied.
"And you didn't get it because I was opposed to casino gambling before, during and after," said Bush. "And I'm not going to be bought by anyone."
Chris Christie got some good reviews, including for his take on the topic of Planned Parenthood.
"Let's ask Hillary Clinton. She believes in the systematic murder of children in the womb, to preserve their body parts, damn it, in a way that maximizes their value for sale for profit," he said. "It is disgusting."
"He was going to be what Donald Trump was in terms of the unfiltered candidate. And then Trump came and stole his thunder," said Rubino.
Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul all had some good lines, but not the memorable moments they needed to propel them into the upper tier - which is becoming a more important place to be as the primary election season gets closer.
The next Republican debate is Oct. 28 in Boulder, Colorado.
