The first of the GOP debates took place on Thursday, Aug. 6. Because the Republican Party has numerous candidates running for president, they held two separate debates. The first debate ran at 5 p.m. and was between the six lowest polling candidates running for the nomination. Carly Fiorina was on the 5 p.m. stage. It didn’t take long to recognize that she was thoroughly underestimated and should have been put in the prime time debate. According to Fox News Network, only 40 percent of Republican voters had heard her name before the debate. However, after the debate, 83 percent of Americans who watched the first debate felt that she had won. Here are five reasons why Fiorina was such a clear cut winner, and why she is the candidate to watch.

1. The way she speaks.

Fiorina addresses questions head on. With today’s politicians, that is a rare, but welcomed quality. If you watch her in debates and interviews, she doesn’t dance around the question to further her political agenda and ideology. She addresses the question head on, honestly, and to the best of her ability. While she doesn’t sugar coat things, she is no Donald Trump. Fiorina was quoted saying, “I have said for sometime that no one who claims to represent our party should ever be judgmental in tone, vitriolic or angry.” Furthermore, she answers questions in a way that is easy to comprehend. Fiorina is very clear on her positions, and it’s easy to understand what her approach to things would be. This is because she presents her points in an easy to understand manner. Even with all of this, she is eloquent and authoritative while speaking.

2. She is a lady.

Fiorina is the only woman candidate running for the GOP nomination. Most speculate that Hillary Clinton is going to get the Democratic nomination. There is a huge number of women in this country who are undecided voters. Many of those women would love to see a female candidate elected president. If both nominees were women, it would force the American people to focus on the actual politics and the candidates' stances on things. Many people feel that the Republican party is just a bunch of rich, middle-aged white men who are out of touch with the problems in today’s society. If Fiorina were to get the nomination, she would change the look of the party in a very positive way. She would also represent the country with dignity and class because she is a true lady.

3. She knows what she’s doing.

Despite the fact that she was the CEO for HP computers for six years, many are concerned Fiorina doesn’t have enough experience to lead our country. Fiorina was the first woman to run a Fortune 500 company. She started out as a secretary and worked her way up to CEO of HP. That alone is impressive. While Fiorina is not a career politician and may be lacking some experience, that is a good thing. Because Fiorina is working for the American people and not for her own personal agenda or to get re-elected, she can be honest with her policies. In the debate, she outlined exactly what she would do on her first day of being president. She had a clear and concise plan and a way to execute it. She can call out candidates who have lied and switched their positions on things without being accused of doing it herself. From running HP, she has gained a skill set that our country needs today. Budgeting, managing large groups of people, domestic and foreign policy, making quick and well informed decisions as well as being a great negotiator are all skills she acquired while running HP. All of these skills also double as characteristics that would make for an effective and exceptional president.

4. She can hold her own.

Fiorina won the first debate by a landslide. As stated above, 83 percent of people who watched felt she was the clear winner. The next closest candidate only held 7 percent of the votes. That candidate was Governor Rick Perry. Not only does Perry have experience in politics, but he has run in a presidential election before. None of the candidates came close to touching her, and she was considered one of the lesser known candidates. This again proves she has the skills needed to get the job done. She won over 83 percent of the people watching, with a very small margin actually knowing who she was. More importantly, she triumphed over experienced politicians who had done this before. If she were to go up in the polls and be put onto a stage with the big names — Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker — she proved that she would be able to hold her own. In addition, if she were to get the nomination, she has proved that she would have the experience and the skills to go head to head with whoever earned the Democratic nomination.

5. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind.

Fiorina is not afraid to tell you how she sees it. She tells the truth even if it hurts. One of the biggest challenges being faced by the candidates is that people don’t trust the government right now. We need a candidate who is worth trusting, and who is honest with us. Fiorina emulates that. She isn’t afraid to call people out, and she isn’t afraid to tell the American people the truth. That’s an important characteristic to look for in any future president.

If you’re interested in learning more about Carly Fiorina, here is a link to her website: https://carlyforpresident.com/meet-carly