According to a professor and political scientist, Monday's presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was unlike any political event he has ever seen.
"I think in some ways, it was a remarkable debate," said John Langton, professor of political science at Westminster College. "I don't think in my lifetime I've seen a debate like this. I thought it was very fascinating."
Langton, who is deeply interested in the political process, said determining a winner of the debate is in the eye of the beholder.
"It's hard to have an expert opinion about the debate," he said. "Even for a political scientist, as you watched the debate, you aren't a neutral referee."
Langton said in his mind, though, the winner was unmistakable.
"If we view it as a boxing match, there were no knockout punches," he said. "I thought Hillary had a couple of nice phrases, and calling his economic policies 'Trumped up, trickle down' was really adroit."
Candidate disclosure and racial relations were also high points of Clinton's performance, Langton said.
"I also thought she pounded him well for not releasing his tax returns," he added. "She insinuated that he's hiding something that could harm his candidacy. She also reached out to the African-American community in making the argument that Trump's birther movement is racist."
In addition to a positive performance from Clinton, Langton said Trump seemed to struggle.
"I thought Donald Trump was egregiously unprepared," he said. "On the other hand, he has a message that resonates with the American voter, and he says it with his own style. Near the end of the debate, he was stumbling, looked tired and was disconcerted."
Rep. Travis Fitzwater, R-Holts Summit, said Monday's debate was an example of Clinton having similar opinions to those of President Barack Obama.
"It's abundantly clear that a Hillary Clinton presidency is another four years of an Obama presidency, which America cannot afford," he said in a statement Tuesday. "We have seen what eight years of President Obama has gotten us, and another four years is the last thing that we need."
Clinton's plans, outlined in the debate, would also be devastating to the middle class, Fitzwater said.
"What the nation saw (Monday) is one more example of just how out of touch Secretary Hillary Clinton is with the world around her," he added. "From her proposed tax increases veiled as helping the middle class, to her war on coal and plan to increase burdensome regulations, to her statement of 'common sense gun "safety" measures'-a thinly veiled attempt at concealing her true belief in gun control and lack of regard for the 2nd Amendment."
However, the opinions of the voters are what matters, and Langton suggested keeping an eye on polling numbers in the next few days.
"It will be interesting to see what the polls say on Thursday or Friday," he said. "They say the number of undecided voters is somewhere between 8 and 17 percent. The question is, did either sway the undecided?"
Olivia Wilson, a political science and transnational studies major at Westminster College, said she predicts Trump's questionable behavior during the debate will have a negative effect on the polls.
"His angry temperament, lack of basic manners and ethics and complete avoidance of discussing certain political matters can no longer be hidden in a debate format," she said. "Trump has been moving up in the polls, especially in the last few weeks, tying and even passing Clinton in certain states. But I am certain that with each debate this election season, his lead will decrease."
In addition to Trump's mannerisms, Wilson said his lack of explanations and elaborations are what really did him in.
"What was most disappointing about his performance, however, was his focus on attacking his opponent versus explaining policy ideas," she added. "He spent a lot of time discussing problems with America, now how we can, and I quote, 'make American great again.' But even in such a structured forum, face-to-face with his opponent, he continues to avoid details of policy solutions and can only produce short, inconclusive statements."
The temperament Trump exhibited foreshadows how he would treat world leaders as president, Wilson said.
"Trump is a businessman, a successful one at that, but he is not a politician," she said. "If Trump cannot speak to Secretary Clinton in a respectful manner, one of the most qualified candidates to ever run for President, how could voters ever expect him to treat other nations, world leaders, and diplomats in an appropriate manner either?"
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, said while both candidates did well, the passionate responses from Trump were a stark contrast from the responses given by Clinton.
"Hillary Clinton was rather robotic in her responses and didn't show a lot of passion," he said. "Trump was very enthusiastic in his responses. I read a report saying that 17 out of 21 media polls said he won."
During the debate, Luetkemeyer said his party's nominee seemed, at times, to defend against more than his political foe.
"It appeared the moderator was on the attack as well," he said. "(He asked) nothing about Benghazi and minimal questions about the leaked emails. It leads to the conclusion that the national media is in for Hillary at all costs."
One of the big takeaways from the debate was Trump's energy and dedication to helping the country, Luetkemeyer added.
"I think we need somebody who's passionate about this country," he said. "He's not running for this job; he's running for this country. He is passionate and believes in what he's doing. I'm excited about his candidacy, and I think he's getting better at running his campaign every day."
Luetkemeyer said he looks forward to the future debates and hopes his candidate will be able to secure a victory.
"There's still plenty of ammunition for the next few debates, and Trump is positioned to win this," he added.
The next debate will be 7-9 p.m. Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis. Debates can be watched on national news outlets and will be streamed live on YouTube.