It wasn't Mitt. It wasn't Newt. Instead, it looks like Fox News was the big winner of Thursday night's Republican presidential debate.
The showdown in the early primary state of Iowa was the highest-rated cable news debate so far this year in both total viewers and in the key news demographic of 25-54 years old.
The debate averaged 6.7 million viewers with 1.9 million in the 25-54 demographic, besting Fox's previous debate high held in September.
Beyond the numbers, Sioux City, Iowa, served up a heaping helping of political theater: Rick Perry provided a mock-worthy parallel of himself with Broncos' quarterback Tim Tebow; Michele Bachmann implied that Newt Gingrich was talking down to her in a sexist fashion; and the entire Republican field bent over backwards emphasizing their God-fearing ways.
The debate is second most popular debate in this seemingly endless season of GOP match-ups: ABC's broadcast last Saturday scored 7.6 million viewers with 2.1 million coming in the 25-54 demographic.
