News Analysis: Rubio's debate performance could make him strong candidate for 2016 U.S. elections

U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio came out swinging in Thursday night's first debate of Republican Party (GOP) candidates, tagging himself as a solid candidate who rose to the top after humble beginnings, experts said.

With a television audience of more than 23 million people, more than a dozen Republican candidates -- one of the most crowded fields in GOP primary history -- battled it out in a debate that kicked off the 2016 race to the White House.

Americans often want to see a candidate they believe understands the problems of a middle class that is being squeezed on a number of fronts, from high taxes to the surging cost of their children's college education. Rubio likely gained points with viewers when he said he was "raised paycheck to paycheck," referring to his lower income upbringing, with a father who worked as a bartender and a mother who was a maid.

His background is in sharp contrast to those of candidates such as top contender former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who was born into a wealthy political family. "The 'paycheck-to-paycheck' was the money line for him," Republican strategist Ford O' Connell said.

"It's a big win for Rubio," he said, but added that the question is now whether or not he can get a bump in the polls from Thursday's performance. If he can capitalize on the win and keep the ball moving forward, he may well find himself ahead in the polls once the elections roll around next year, O'Connell said.

One criticism is that Rubio, at age 44, is too young to be president. Another factor that may work against him is that members of Congress tend not to do as well in presidential elections as do governors. Indeed, Republican primary focus groups favor governors over members of Congress by a significant margin.

"He's got a lot to work on in terms of having the right experience, but his delivery last night was consistent. He didn't have a lot of memorable lines compared to the others, but he came across as authentic and someone you could see in the Oval Office," O'Connell said.

That authenticity, as well as the fact that Rubio had nothing handed to him in life, will be an edge against likely Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, whose wealth far exceeds that of ordinary Americans and who often comes across as stiff and lacks the folksy appeal of her husband, former President Bill Clinton, experts said.

Moreover, one Democratic line of attack has been to accuse the GOP of not being for lower income Americans, a line that would fall flat against a candidate like Rubio.

Rubio also would be a boon to the GOP in terms of getting the votes of young, single women, a bastion of the Democrats. Indeed, the GOP is often considered the party of old, white men that excludes women and minorities, and that has hurt the party in a country with a rapidly changing demographic landscape, where whites will no longer comprise the majority by 2043.

"I think Jeb (Bush) had a good performance, but it wasn't enough to re-establish him as the front runner. Rubio had probably the best night, as he demonstrated a vision for the future and a talent for advocating GOP policies," Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress.

"(Rubio) was also the most telegenic of those on stage," Mahaffee said.

Looking presidential on camera has played a major role in U.S. presidential debates, and candidates are now groomed for TV and trained to deliver quick and pithy soundbites, which critics at times blast as lacking depth.

That was one complaint of Thursday night's debate, which was criticized by some experts for focusing more on quick soundbites designed to pack a punch but being short on details. That left viewers wondering just what exactly the candidates will do to tackle a host of issues, critics said.

"This is nothing new. This is the style of politics that we have undertaken," Julian E. Zelizer, a professor at Princeton University, told Xinhua. "To a certain extent, popularity has already been central to the election dynamics. There is no sign this will go away." Endi