Who won the Republican debate? It looks pretty good for Ted Cruz.

Ted Cruz at the South Carolina debate.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

According to a primary forecast from FiveThirtyEight the morning before Thursday's Republican debate, Ted Cruz has a 51 percent chance of winning the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1. Donald Trump sits behind Cruz with a 29 percent chance, and Rubio, Carson, and Bush trail from there at 14, 3, and 1 percent respectively.

But if Trump was looking to take back the odds on Iowa Thursday night, he found a formidable opponent in his former buddy, Cruz:

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.