There are several indications that the Republican presidential primary is finally beginning to crystalize. After the cluttered debate stages and the smoke from Iowa fairgrounds have cleared, it appears that the race could end up being between Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio — strong conservative picks that show a rigorous primary debate was good for conservatism.

First, Red State notes that the polls show Ben Carson dropping from his neck-and-neck lead with Donald Trump while Cruz’s and Rubio’s numbers display steady upticks. Everyone else is polling in single digits. And while the Republican Party reportedly prepared a contingency campaign if Trump wins the nomination, widely respected political analyst Charlie Cook wrote he would eat deep-fried crow if either Carson or Trump took the ticket. He argues this is because many of the people backing the two are independents, or people so uninvolved with politics that they will not show up to vote in the primary election.

Furthermore, among the conservative spectrum, there is a vast swath of people that would never vote for the two current frontrunners. The people no longer supporting Carson will probably turn and support Cruz or Rubio, further boosting the candidates. Already, many of the Republican candidates sense this shift. Cruz and Rubio have started to attack each other, and other candidates have started to snipe at the two, trying to trip them up. As for Trump and Carson? They have aided the Republican Party by demonstrating the strong dissatisfaction held by the grassroots, a demonstration Cruz and Rubio best heed.