WASHINGTON, DC (NBC) -
Republican Mitt Romney may have secured exactly what he needed out of this first Presidential Debate, a fresh look for undecided voters.
Ed Gillespie, a Romney campaign adviser said, "He laid out a very clear choice and a big choice. And that's what this election is about."
The candidates sparred on key issues this election: taxes, job growth and medicare.
Mitt Romney, the Republican Presidential candidate, said
"I'd rather have private plan. I'd just as soon not have the government telling
me what kind of health care I get. I'd rather be able to have an insurance company, if I don't like them, I can get rid of them and find a different insurance company."
President Obama said, "Every study has shown that medicare has lower administrative costs then private
insurance does. Which is why seniors are generally pretty happy with it.
And private insurers have to make a profit."
Even advisors to President Obama admit Romney did well.
David Axelrod, an Obama campaign adviser said,
"I give him credit for a strong performance."
The debate was one of the most substantive in recent history.
Now Democrats hope to seize on the details to attack Romney moving forward.
"Are we going to hold the government accountable for his fraudulent positions?
Yes we are going to do that," Axelrod said.
Obama's campaign is continuing an argument that Romney will initiate 5 trillion dollars in tax cuts favoring the wealthy.
"Governor Romney's proposal, that he's been promoting for 18 months, is for a 5 trillion dollar cut," Obama said.
"Virtually everything he just said about my tax plan is Inaccurate," Romney said.
Meanwhile, Romney's campaign is pleased.
"Governor Romney was clearly very much in command of the facts last night and had solutions," Gillespie said.
Hoping to build on that calm cool confidence that came out for the first time in a while.
We've yet to see how Romney's performance will affect his standing in the national polls, where he's been trailing by several points. that could take days.
