When the Republican presidential debate began tonight, a crowd of about 400 people gathered at a watch party in Oakland University’s student center ranked Mitt Romney and Ron Paul as their favorites.

Yet, as the debate went on, Newt Gingrich kept getting high marks from people for his answers, including from Paul Thomas, 35, of Rochester.

“He just seemed to have better specifics,” Thomas, a Republican auto supply company executive said. “He was more sure of himself.”

For two hours, nearly 400 students, faculty and community members graded the candidates – using electronic clickers to rate them on each answer.