(CNN) -- Heading into Wednesday, majorities of Americans in virtually every major poll predicted President Barack Obama would come out on top in this year's presidential debates. Even majorities of Republicans and Romney supporters thought the GOP nominee was in for a rough night. But not all of them. At a time when most surrogates were competing in the traditional expectations-setting limbo contest that always precedes presidential debates, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie predicted that Mitt Romney, seasoned veteran of roughly 20 debates within the past year alone, would prevail. "Wednesday night's the restart of this campaign," he told NBC. "Come Thursday morning, the entire narrative of this race is going to change."
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No candidate has ever scored above 60% on question of who won -- Romney scored 67%
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Romney's answers were direct, confident and black-and-white
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Obama's performance was long and windy, even a bit hesitant
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Obama's campaign now faces second-guessing that Romney's was before Wednesday
Romney
Mitt Romney
Romney
Romney
Romney
It was a relatively placid debate with few direct confrontations, virtually no sustained attacks, and occasionally no attacks at all, on some of @placeholder's most vulnerable areas.
Barack Obama
Obama
Obama
As his team had hinted before the debate, he claimed the fact-checking mantle as his own, deflecting attention from a string of previously debunked statements by aiming the truth-stretching accusation at @placeholder, and masterfully working in a passing reference to the president's lifestyle that seemed designed to reduce the advantage his own wealth had given his opponent: "Mr. President, you're entitled to your own house and your own airplane, but not your own facts."
Romney
Mitt Romney
Romney
Romney
Romney
@placeholder has had no track record, no time in office, since well before the financial crisis began.