At least Fortune magazine feels that way. So does HuffPo. Of course it wasn't exactly stiff competition.

Why was Kelly the winner? Because she asked the tough questions:

• “Mr. Trump ... Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who will likely be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?”
• “Governor Walker, you've consistently said that you want to make abortion illegal even in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. ... Would you really let a mother die rather than have an abortion?”
• “Senator Rubio, you favor a rape and incest exception to abortion bans. ... If you believe that life begins at conception, as you say you do, how do you justify ending a life just because it begins violently, through no fault of the baby?”
• “Governor Bush ... To the families of those who died in that war who say they liberated and deposed a ruthless dictator, how do you look at them now and say that your brothers war was a mistake?”
• “The subject of gay marriage and religious liberty. Governor Kasich, if you had a son or daughter who was gay or lesbian, how would you explain to them your opposition to same-sex marriage?”
• “Mr. Trump ... When did you actually become a Republican?”

Afterwards I believe only Trump complained about the tough questions. Then he took to Twitter to bitch about it. Like a loser. I like people who who don't have to tweet misogynistic things when a woman holds them accountable.   

To me, there's an obvious reason she did all this. She, and I assume Roger Ailes, are trying to prevent “Republican math” from hurting the party in 2016 as it did in 2012. She and Ailes are trying to toughen everybody up for the battle ahead. It's a warning shot across all those Republican bows: We will not be drinking our own Kool-Aid while deciding which king to make. The FOX narrative is fun, they're saying, but you have to do well outside our studios, too. And it's cold out there. 

This is also a warning to Dems, by the way, whether they see it or not. Most are not. Most are joking. 

Here's Amy Davidson's take on the debate. Here's an interesting sidenote: How a portion of Bush's answer disappeared from the official FOX-News transcript. 

Four-hundred and 58 days until election day.

ADDENDUM: Make that 457 but the last one was a doozy for Trump. He doubled-down on stupidity with his “blood” comment about Kelly. Singlehandedly, he's making Kelly the most popular woman in America.