Carly Fiorina, who is widely considered an underdog in the crowded field of Republican 2016 White House contenders, made a mark for herself during Thursday's first presidential debate, Real Clear Politics judged.

The former Hewlett-Packard chief executive "came armed with pointed, memorable attacks aimed at the GOP front-runners - and might have earned a spot on a future stage with them," the publication noted. Fiorina also received praise from the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart, who said she was the "clear winner" of the first of two events Fox News and Facebook held at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena.

In the afternoon encounter, she debated with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, all of whom polled lower than the top 10 GOP candidates who met for the main event later in the evening.

Fiorina's "knowledge and the forceful way she made her case made me wish she were a part of the Big 10 - even more so after seeing the Big 10," Capehart commented. "The Fiorina on that stage Thursday was the confident and prepared candidate I saw at that Christian Science Monitor breakfast in April."

At one point, Fox News moderator Martha MacCallum quizzed Fiorina about Donald Trump, the TV personality turned presidential candidate who has received strong support in early GOP surveys.

"Like it or not, there is a huge disparity between the poll numbers he has and the poll numbers you have," MacCallum told the former CEO. "Is he getting the better of you?" the moderator asked.

Trump "is the party's front-runner right now, and good for him," Fiorina admitted. "I think he's tapped into an anger that people feel, who are sick of politics as usual.".

But the 60-year-old insisted that it was still early in the game and that she had already exceeded expectations.

"Everybody here can admit it: When I announced my candidacy on May 4, you didn't think we'd come this far," she noted. "I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing."