5 Stories You'll Care About in Politics This Week

— -- Raise your hand or roll your eyes if you must. We know you were watching the first Republican debate because, let’s face it, everybody did. King James’ house belonged to King Donald, but the crown could be passed around faster than a selfie with Kim Kardashian. And this is a bad time to be on the paleo diet –- Iowa’s state fair will be delicious, if less than nutritious.

Here’s a glimpse at some of the stories the ABC News political team is tracking in the week ahead:

TRUMP IT UP

Let’s put it this way: The staggering number of individuals who watched the first Republican debate weren’t interested in watching Ted Cruz or John Kasich debate foreign policy. They were watching for the Donald Trump of it all, and boy did they get it. But what they saw from him – a refusal to rule out a third-party candidacy, and defiance upon being confronted with misogynistic statements – showed the billionaire celebrity in a less-than-flattering light. His support has only grown through previous bumps, even the ones he set for himself. But this could mark a new phase of scrutiny from a man with a long and checkered public record, and the next round of polling will be telling. As for his actions from here, Trump is already lashing out at Fox for its questioning, and so far he’s resisted internal and external appeals to make a turn toward serious policy discussions.

JEB’S JITTERS

A shaky phase of Jeb Bush’s campaign didn’t get any better with the first debate. In the view of one rival campaign, he looked like a middle manager, when he needed to be the CEO. The man who took center stage right next to Trump may benefit from the scrutiny being applied to that other frontrunner. But that doesn’t mean his supporters aren’t nervous about his inability to break out in the field, given his campaign’s argument about his unique qualifications. Key to watch is whether Bush or his outside backers start to spend out of his massive war chest over the summer, to boost his standing in early-voting states. It’s not time to panic just yet, but his campaign is missing its exclamation point at the moment.

CARLY’S TURN

The happy hour debate had a happy ending for Carly Fiorina, the consensus winner of the undercard match. A strong tone of foreign policy – coupled with sharp jabs at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump – made her a star of a night where she wasn’t even invited to the main event. She’s gotten rave reviews before, though those were in smaller settings. The question for the only woman in the Republican field is how she capitalizes on the newfound interest in her candidacy. The smart money says she’s the best bet of the rest to crack the top 10 before the next GOP debate, but it’s worth noting that the smart money is often dumb in this game.

DEBATING DEBATES

Democrats used the occasion of the first Republican debate to announce their schedule for their own primary debates. But not everybody’s happy. Martin O’Malley’s campaign immediately blasted the Democratic National Committee for authorizing only six debates, accusing party leaders of trying to wire the nomination for Hillary Clinton. Bernie Sanders is similarly anxious for more debates, raising the prospect of rogue candidate forums that could potentially include an empty chair for the Democratic frontrunner. With Joe Biden still looming, the debate over debates is the latest outlet for concerns and frustrations in the party over its relative lack of competition.

ON A STICK

Ditch the diet and embrace the butter cow. The Iowa State Fair opens on Thursday, and since it’s the year before the caucuses, it will be one big fried political playground. Candidates will be judged on their pork-chop flipping and how comfortable they look eating bizarre foodstuffs placed on sticks. They’ll also take to the famous Des Moines Register soapbox to take their turns amid hay bales and the masses, testing messages as well as audience members’ tempers. It’s a quadrennial political tradition made more important by the collapse of the summer straw poll – as well as the import the huge field of GOP candidates is putting on the first state to cast votes in 2016.