Chris Christie’s New Jersey sass and no-nonsense attitude took center stage at Wednesday night’s GOP Debate. Here were his three best moments:

1.) When he focused on the real competition.

The first question of the night was, “What is your biggest weakness and what are you doing to address it?” Christie deflected his answer away from his own weaknesses, just as everyone else did, and talked about what he believes is the greatest weakness of the election: the Democratic candidates. He rallied for the Republicans as a team and emphasized who the real rivals are:

I don’t see a lot of weakness on this stage, quite frankly. Where I see the weakness is in those three people that are left on the Democratic stage. You know, I see a socialist, an isolationist and a pessimist. And for the sake of me, I can’t figure out which one is which.

2. When he took a good look.

Governor Christie made a huge impact to those watching him fight for the top spot. He spoke directly into the camera, capturing the attention of those who will be voting for him, instead of using his eye contact to intimidate everyone else in the room. It was effective and unique, making Christie a standout amongst the rest.

I want to talk to the folks at home. I want to ask you: Are you fed up with how Washington taxes you? Are you fed up with how Washington wastes your money? Are you concerned like I am that the debt and deficits of Washington, D.C. are endangering America’s future?

I’ve got one more question for you then. Are you serious about this election? Because if you are, you need to elect someone who’s deadly serious about changing this culture. I am deadly serious about changing this culture. I changed it in New Jersey. I’m deadly serious about doing this job the right way.

I’m prepared. I’m tested. I’m ready. And I want to make this our government. For the people who say we can’t do it, I say hell no, we can do it together.

3.) When CNBC made a fantasy football fumble.

My favorite moment of the night was when Governor Christie called out the CNBC moderators. Let’s face it: their questions were terrible, insulting, and fluffier than cotton candy. “What’s your greatest weakness?” “Do you hate your job?” “How do you feel about fantasy football?” These are questions that belong in a teenager’s job interview, not in a serious national debate that purports to help voters further decide who will run the most powerful country in the world:

We have — wait a second, we have $19 trillion in debt. We have people out of work. We have ISIS and al Qaeda attacking us. And we’re talking about fantasy football? Can we stop? How about this?

How about we get the government to do what they’re supposed to be doing, secure our borders, protect our people, and support American values and American families. Enough on fantasy football. Let people play, who cares?

Governor Christie came out guns blazing last night. I have to say that I am impressed by his performance. He may not have the momentum that the other Republican candidates have, but he has the will power and fire to be the top candidate for the GOP.

Carolina Baker works for the American Principles Project.